NHL 2017 playoffs, three things that stand out each night

The only game of the night shone the spotlight on Broadway as the New York Rangers hosted Ottawa in Game 4 of the Atlantic Division. And just like Eddie “Clear the Track” Schack, one-time Ranger, New York looked like a freight train running roughshod over the Senators to win their fifth consecutive game on home ice.

Result:

New York Rangers 4, Ottawa 1 (Series 2-2)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night 21 of the NHL playoffs.

1. Hit him, hit him hard and hit him again: A famous saying that used to be uttered in football circles was “The quarterback must go done and he must go down hard” The Rangers took that saying and translated it to the ice on Thursday, hitting Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson time and time again. Karlsson, in many ways, is the quarterback of the Senators. He plays nearly half the game and drives the Ottawa offense. Already dealing with a heel issue, Karlsson absorbed a ton of punishment in Game 4 and at the end of the second period was in clear discomfort and grimaced in pain at one point while on the bench. As he left the ice, he didn’t put any weight on his left skate. Head coach Guy Boucher said after the game that Karlsson could have come back for the third period but with the Senators – who also made a goaltending change down 3-0 entering the third – down by three, he was held out for precautionary reasons and should be ready for Game 5 on Saturday. How healthy he’ll be is something to keep an eye on. You can be sure the Rangers will keep close tabs, as well.

2. King continues to reign: New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has enjoyed a strong postseason, which he showed once again on Thursday in stopping 22 shots for his sixth win this postseason. On home ice Lundqvist is 4-1 with a 1.42 goals against average and .947 save percentage. With his 61st career playoff victory on Thursday, he moved in to a tie with Tom Barrasson for 13th on the all-time list.

3. Glass is more than half full: Little used Tanner Glass, who spent most of the season in the minor leagues and was scratched for much of the past few weeks, continues to find ways to be a contributor offensively. The fourth-line pugilist, who scored the winning goal in Game 1 of the first round, chipped in a pair of assists against the Senators. Through five playoff games, Glass has a goal and four points. He has already doubled his offensive output from the regular season.

What’s on tap for night 22: Two Western Conference games on the schedule starting in St. Louis at 8 p.m EDT as the Blues look to prevent Nashville from closing out the series and force a Game 6. The Predators, meanwhile, are looking to advance to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. Then at 10:30 p.m EDT, Anaheim hosts Edmonton in Game 5 with the series tied up 2-2.

NIGHT 20, MAY 3

The showcase series was back on display with Pittsburgh hosting Washington in Game 4 of a series the Penguins were looking to get a stranglehold on, even with the absence of Sidney Crosby, who is out with a concussion. Out West, Anaheim was looking to even up its series against the Edmonton Oilers and regain home ice advantage in the series the Ducks lost after dropping the first two games at home.

Results:

Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2 (Pittsburgh leads series 3-1)

Anaheim 4, Edmonton 3 (OT) (Series tied 2-2)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night 20 of the NHL playoffs.

1. O, say can you see him?: The Big O, the Great 8, has done a bit of a disappearance act of late for the Washington Capitals. At times during Wednesday’s game, Alex Ovechkin looked a bit disinterested. The Washington captain played so poorly on Wednesday, he called himself out after a game in which he had just two shots on goal. Six other Captials’ players had more shots on goal than Ovechkin in a game Washington could not afford to lose. And Washington lost to fall behind 3-1. Anybody see the Capitals winning three straight to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in the Ovechkin era? Me neither.

2. Getzlaf flying for Ducks: While Corey Perry has struggled to this point in the playoffs, Ryan Getzlaf has been the front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Against the Oilers on Wednesday, after falling behind by two goals, Getzlaf took charge of the game and put Anaheim in front with a pair of goals and an assist in the second period. Then in overtime, Getzlaf intercepted the puck on a pass attempt from Adam Larsson and fed Jakub Silfverberg for a one-timer 45 seconds in to OT. Getzlaf finished with two goals, four points, was a plus-4 and led all Anaheim skaters in ice time with 25 minutes., 56 seconds. He is second in playoff scoring with 13 points in eight games and tied for second with seven goals.

3. Still can’t hold a lead: The latest team to fail to hold on to a multi-goal lead is the Edmonton Oilers, who had a 2-0 lead after the first. But as teams have shown throughout, no lead is safe and Anaheim came back to tie and then take the lead by the end of the second. Though Edmonton would come back and tie the game in the final two minutes, the Ducks capped off the come-back victory with an overtime goal just 45 seconds in to the extra session.

What’s on tap for night 21 of the NHL playoffs

Just one game on the schedule as the Ottawa Senators look to rebound from a Game 3 loss to the New York Rangers and take a commanding lead in the series the Senators lead 2-1. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m from Madison Square Garden on NBCSN.

NIGHT 19, MAY 2

Things got back on track on the schedule with a pair of games taking place. And for the first time in the second round, there was one game in each conference taking place, which – if nothing else – balances out the viewing options. The Rangers, who earlier this postseason struggled to find victories on home ice, returned to Madison Square Garden looking for their first victory of the series against Ottawa. The nightcap featured the Nashville Predators, unbeaten at home to this point in the postseason, looking to take a commanding series lead against the St. Louis Blues.

Results

New York Rangers 4, Ottawa 1 (Ottawa leads series 2-1)

Nashville 2, St. Louis 1 (Nashville leads series 3-1)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night 19 of the NHL playoffs.

1. Home is sweet, again: When the New York Ranges dropped Game 3 of the opening round series to Montreal, it marked six consecutive home losses suffered by New York at Madison Square Garden. The losing streak dated back to the first game of the 2015 Eastern Conference finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. But since losing that game to Montreal in the opening round, the Rangers have not lost since, now riding a three-game home winning streak following Tuesday’s victory against Ottawa to get back in the series and avoid falling down 3-0 in the series.

2. That other Austin: One of the disadvantages of following an Eastern Conference team so closely is missing out on some of the role players on teams in the Western Conference. With only two out-of-conference games against each team, sometimes it’s difficult to notice players who do not often hit the score sheet. But for Nashville, which rarely receives much national attention for something outside of the night lift on Little Broadway, reaching the second round has allowed Austin Watson plenty of time to stand out as a physical presence. Watson entered the game second in the playoffs with 41 registered hits in seven playoff games. He added another eight to that total despite just 12:32 of ice time in Tuesday’s game to take over the postseason lead in that category. During the regular season, Watson didn’t even lead his team in hits, finishing with 143, behind Mike Fisher.

3. Great goalie duel: Somebody was going to finally crack in Nashville as netminders Pekka Rinne and Jake Allen were locked in a goaltending duel at Bridgestone Arena. Each team took turns with consistent pressure pushing for the critical opening goal of the game. But the goaltenders took turns turning aside puck after puck. The game remained scoreless through two periods, Allen having stopped 15 shots and Rinne turning aside 18 St. Louis shots through 40 minutes. It took a power play goal from Ryan Ellis 5:09 in to the third period to finally break the deadlock off a broken play on a rebound that Ellis was able to slip under a diving Allen. James Neal would make it 2-0 on a floating shot while 1-on-2, a goal Allen would like back and wound up costly after St. Louis pulled to within a goal late in the third.

What’s on tap for night 20 of the NHL playoffs

The East/West balance continues with Pittsburgh first hosting Washington in Game 4 of their series. The Penguins will look to bounce back from the overtime loss on Sunday, as well as the loss of captain Sidney Crosby, who suffered a concussion after a controversial hit from Capitals’ defenseman Matt Niskanen. Pittsburgh will look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series with a 7:30 p.m. scheduled puck drop on NBCSN. That will be followed at 10:30 p.m by Edmonton hosting Anaheim in Game 4, also on NBCSN as the Oilers look to gain a 3-1 advantage in the series.

NIGHT 18, MAY 1

One game on the schedule, but what a game it was that featured just about everything one might want to see in a hockey game minus a fight. There were highlight reel saves, hard hits, skilled moves, blown leads, an overtime decision and plenty of controversy between two teams that have plenty of respect for each other, but not a whole lot of love.

>Results

Washington 3, Pittsburgh 2 (OT) (Pittsburgh leads series 2-0)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night 18 of the NHL playoffs.

1. Was it worthy of an ejection? Nothing like some controversy to stir up an already intense situation. Early in the first period, as Sidney Crosby cut across the crease in front of Braden Holtby, the stick of Alex Ovechkin glanced Crosby’s shoulder and then across his helmet. That appeared to knock Crosby off balance as his skates slipped ever so slightly. As he started to lean backwards, Matt Niskanen came across and cross checked Crosby to the head area, a collision that also appeared to twist Crosby’s left knee under him as he fell. Crosby lay on the ice for several moments before getting up under his own power and skating to the locker room. Niskanen, meanwhile, was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct ejection. Naturally this set off an immediate social media debate on whether the contact was deliberate, accidental or somewhere in between? My view, not intentional and a product of circumstance. But Crosby has concussion history so there is concern, which was not quelled at all when head coach Mike Sullivan offered no status update after the game.

2. Caps can’t get out of their own way: Yes, Washington won the game. The Capitals needed to win the game to avoid falling in to an 0-3 hole against the defending Stanley Cup champions. But they didn’t exactly look like a team desperate not to fall in to that hole. Already with plenty of talk about enduring yet another postseason failure hanging over the team, the Capitals blew a two-goal lead in the final two minutes that allowed Pittsburgh to tie the game and force overtime. Sure, Washington won the game, but did they get back in to the series?

3. Malkin finds another gear Nobody can really explain it, but for whatever reason Evgeni Malkin raises his level of play whenever Crosby is out of the lineup for the Penguins. He did it again on Monday, scoring the first goal and assisting on the tying goal to get the Penguins to overtime. Malkin finished with seven shot attempts, five hits, was a plus-two and won 9-of-15 faceoffs. If Crosby misses any more time in this series, expect to see more of this Malkin on the ice.

What’s on tap for Night 19 of the NHL playoffs

We finally get the balanced out series, with one each in the Eastern conference and the West. The New York Rangers return home to Madison Square Garden looking to avoid an 0-3 hole to the Ottawa Senators. That game starts on NBCSN at 7 p.m. At 9:30 p.m. also on NBCSN the Nashville Predators look to open up a 3-1 series lead on St. Louis and remain perfect at home.

NIGHT 17, APRIL 30

The Western Conference went back to work with a pair of Game 3s on the schedule. The swing game took place in the series between Nashville and St. Louis after the two teams split the first two games in St. Louis. The series headed to Nashville where the Predators ended with a perfect 2-0 record in the first round. Anaheim headed to Edmonton looking to avoid falling in to an insurmountable 0-3 hold to the Oilers.

Results

Nashville 3, St. Louis 1 (Nashville leads series 2-1)

Anaheim 6, Edmonton 3 (Edmonton leads series 2-1)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night 17 of the NHL playoffs.

1. The best offense is a good defense: It’s quite the notion to think that the Nashville Predators, in the span of a year, managed to trade both Seth Jones and Shea Weber and not miss a beat on their blue line. Certainly the swap of Weber to Montreal for P.K. Subban feels like a rather even hockey trade. But the Predators, even after the loss of Jones, may be just as strong – or stronger – despite the moves. In the Predators 3-1 victory on Sunday, Nashville had goals from defensemen Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi. It was the third goal of the playoffs for each player – in just seven postseason games to date. Overall, Nashville has seven goals from defensemen in the postseason and 21 points total, an average of three points from the defense per game. It’s a big reason why the Predators are 6-1 to this point in the postsason.

2. Near disaster turned around: Anaheim came out storming in Edmonton looking to rebound from dropping the first two games at home and set the tone with Rikard Rakell’s goal 25 seconds in to the game. The Ducks scored twice more in the opening 12 minutes of the game to jump out to a 3-0 lead. But just like happened to Columbus earlier in the playoffs – the Blue Jackets scored on the opening shift and jumped out to a 3-0 lead in Game 3 against Pittsburgh only to see it evaporate – the Ducks were unable to hold the lead as Edmonton pulled even on Connor McDavid’s goal at the 8:40 mark of the second period. But unlike the Blue Jackets, the Ducks answered the tying goal less than a minute later and broke the game open in the third and pulled away for a 6-3 victory to stay in the series.

3. End the damn replay system already: The NHL replay system on offside calls, initiated with a coach’s challenge, needs to go away. It was put in place to right a clear wrong, instead it’s only muddied the waters because it’s not clear what is offside or not. It’s really a flip of a coin on which way the linesman are going to rule. On Anaheim’s fifth goal, Edmonton initiated a challenge believing Jacob Silfverberg entered the zone before the puck. And, after several angles, the back heel of Silfverberg’s skate did appear to be a hair past the blue line before the puck. But the play was allowed to stand and the goal was allowed. All this rule has done is slow games down because, like so many other things in the rule book, they appear to be open to interpretation. And there are already enough grey areas to worry about.

What’s on tap for Night 18 of the NHL playoffs

Just one game on the schedule that sees Washington heading to Pittsburgh looking to match what the Anaheim Ducks pulled off on Sunday night and that’s head on the road looking to avoid falling in to an 0-3 hole. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m. EDT on NBCSN.

NIGHT 16, APRIL 29

The playoff pendulum swung back to the Eastern Conference on Saturday with the first weekend of the second round that featured a thrilling matinee affair in Ottawa that found an unlikely hero. Then, after the NHL Draft lottery was held, the Washington Capitals hosted Pittsburgh in a prime time show down as Washington look to avoid an 0-2 series hole.

Results

Ottawa 6, New York Rangers 5 (2OT) (Ottawa leads series 2-0)

Pittsburgh 6, Washington 2 (Pittsburgh leads series 2-0)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night 16 of the NHL playoffs.

1. Pageau, Pageau, Pageau, Pageau: Have a night, J-G Pageau! On a team where Erik Karlsson is by far the biggest name on the roster and Bobby Ryan is the best known forward, Pageau emerged as a playoff hero for the Senators. With Ottawa trailing 5-3 late in the third period, Pageau scored twice in the final 3:19 of the third period to finish off his second career hat trick and pull the Senators even in the game. But if those heroics were not enough, Pageau scored his fourth goal of the game 2:54 in to the second overtime to become just the second player in NHL history to score four goals in a game, including the overtime winner, joining Joffrey Lupul, who was the first to do so while with Anaheim on May 9, 2006.

2. The 2017 playoffs, where no lead is safe: Speaking of New York’s late lead, the Senators rally from behind marked the 20th time in this postseason in which a team overcame a deficit to win a game, and the 10th time that the winning team overcame a multi-goal deficit. It might be more than just a trend, it’s become a regular occurrence.

3.. When the push gets pushed back: The Capitals needed to avoid going in to an 0-2 series hole against Pittsburgh and they played like that. But it still didn’t matter. Washington had double the amount of shots on goal (16) than Penguins had attempts (8) in the first period. Washington was turned away by Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped all 16 shots in the first period and finished with 34 saves as the Penguins eventually pulled away for a 6-2 victory to put the Capitals in to that 0-2 hold they wanted to avoid and now face the daunting task of trying to overcome losing the first two games of a series at home to win a series. Only 18 times in NHL history has a team overcome such a deficit in 87 times (20.7 percent) it has happened.

What’s on tap for Night 17 of the NHL playoffs: St. Louis heads to Nashville hoping to put a dent on the machine that has rolled in the postseason with five wins in six games. Anaheim will then head to Rogers Place in Edmonton looking to avoid a 3-0 hold to the Oilers, who can put a stranglehold on the series.

NIGHT 15, APRIL 28

The Western Conference was back in to action with each series playing their second game, starting in St. Louis where Nashville was looking to win its sixth consecutive playoff game and gain another 2-0 lead to start a series. Edmonton was also trying to start a series with a 2-0 lead on the road as the returned to Honda Center against the Anaheim Ducks.

Results:

St. Louis 3, Nashville 2 (Series tied 1-1)

Edmonton 2, Anaheim 1 (Edmonton leads series 2-0)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night 14 of the NHL playoffs.

1. Two for Tarasenko: Vladimir Tarasenko had a relatively quiet opening round against the Minnesota Wild in the first round even as the Blues won the series in five games. At some point the former 40-goal scorer was going to to have to make his presence felt against the Predators. That day arrived on Friday as the EA Sports cover boy had two goals to lift the Blues to the Game 2 victory. His game-winner, late in the third period, completely caught Pekka Rinne off guard. On the play, a pass across the high slot was collected by Joel Edmonson with his skate. As he made a move to try and collect the puck to his stick, Edmonson wisely pulled back and conceded the puck to Tarasenko to his right, allowing Tarasenko to zip off a laser-quick wrist shot to help the Blues erase a 2-1 deficit.

2. Talbot clips Ducks wings: Heading in to the playoffs, Edmonton goaltender Cam Talbot was an unknown factor. But he proved his mettle in the opening round series against San Jose. That has continued in to the second round against Anaheim where Talbot has almost single-handedly put the Oilers in prime position to reach the Western Conference finals. In Friday’s Game 2, he held the fort in the first period as Edmonton was up 1-0 despite being outshot 12-3. In the second period, Talbot stopped all 15 shots he faced and then added to Anaheim’s frustration in the third stopping an additional 16 to finish with 39 saves.

3. Where is Corey Perry: The NHL is a young-man’s game. It’s been that way for the past few years as so many 20-somethings dominate the league. But it wasn’t so long ago that Corey Perry was a Rocket Richard Trophy winner and more recently a 40-goal scorer that helped earn him the nickname “Score-y Perry”. Nowadays, it’s more like “Scarey Perry” because his play has been downright awful in the playoffs, which falls right in line with his season as a whole. Perry’s 53 points in the regular season was his fewest in a full season since 2006-07 and his 19 goals are also his fewest in a full season since that same season. Through seven playoff games he has one goal and three points. On one play in the third period, Perry made a play in to the offensive zone but had the puck stripped off his stick by Connor McDavid as Perry looked as if he was slow to move and react. Anaheim needs Perry to be more of a factor if they are going to climb out of the hole.

What’s on tap for night 15 of the NHL Playoffs: The playoffs swing back over to the Easter Conference for the second game of each of the series, which kicks off with a matinee in Ottawa as the Senators host the New York Rangers on NBC. The prime time game – which takes place after the NHL Draft lottery – features the Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington looking to grab a 2-0 lead on the favored Capitals.

NIGHT 14, APRIL 27

The Eastern Conference jumped in to the playoff spotlight with Ottawa hosting the New York Rangers while Pittsburgh headed to Washington in the showcase series of the postseason to date. And as has been the trends, both games were decided by a goal, both games were tied late in to the third period and, of course, one game featured a blown multi-goal lead, which happened for the third time in four games to open the second round. And just like in the first two games of the second round out West, the team that lost the lead was able to regain it and go on to win.

Results:

Ottawa 2, NY Rangers 1 (Ottawa leads series 1-0)

Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2 (Pittsburgh leads series 1-0)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night 14 of the NHL playoffs.

1. Erik Karlsson, physics major: We are starting to run out of adjectives to describe the play of Erik Karlsson during these playoffs and what he has meant to the the Senators postseason drive. He’s been electric, steady, dynamic, gutsy and on and on and on. But on Thursday, he found a way to add something new to the word wall – physicist. Late in the third period, Karlsson was down low in the offensive zone right around the right bend area along the boards. That’s not exactly prime scoring territory – unless you are able to compute the distance, angle, velocity and trajectory needed to find the net all within a second. So naturally, Karlsson fits that bill and set a puck from just below the goal line toward the net area and as able to get the puck to bank off the neck area of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and find the back of the net. To put it frankly, it was ridiculous to even think about pulling that off, let alone executing.

2. Flower power does it again: Matt Murray was supposed to be the goaltender in Pittsburgh. He led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup championship last season, he was the starter throughout most of the regular season as Marc-Andre Fleury was relegated to being the backup, with speculation he might have been dealt at the trade deadline. But Pittsburgh did not trade The Flower, opting to retain him to give the Penguins a better chance at playoff success. then during warmups prior to the first game of the postseason, Murray suffered an injury, leaving Fleury the starter. After a strong showing in the five-game series victory against Columbus, Fleury was back in net to open the series against Washington. He didn’t face much early, seeing just six shots in the opening period, but saw 29 the rest of the game, including 16 in the third and put on a show to help give Pittsburgh the victory in the opening game to improve to 5-1 in the playoffs.

3. Bonino, Bonino, Bonino does it again: During last year’s run to the Cup, Pittsburgh C Nick Bonino turned in to a cult hero. He was a big part of the HBK line that provided some big moments. That included when Bonino scored an overtime goal in the opening game of the Stanley Cup Final, which saw the call of that goal on Hockey Night Punjabi by Harnarayan Singh go viral with just under 200,000 views on You Tube. After a quiet first round, Bonino was my pick to have to step up his game in the second round. All he did was go out and score the game-winning goal with 7:24 left in the third period to lift the Penguins to a 1-0 series lead.

What’s on tap for night 15 of the NHL Playoffs: The Western Conference returns to the spotlight with St. Louis hosting Nashville in Game 2 of their series at 7 p.m. on NBCSN with the Predators holding a 1-0 series lead. Then at 10:30 p.m. also on NBCSN, Anaheim looks to even its series against Edmonton.

NIGHT 13, APRIL 26

After a two day break, the conference semifinal round finally got underway. It was the Western Conference that started off the action with Nashville in St. Louis in the Central Division while Edmonton started play in Anaheim in the Pacific Division. The Predators were looking to shake off any potential rust after sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round while facing a St. Louis team led by goaltender Jake Allen. In the Pacific, the Ducks were looking to try to get under the skin of Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid, never passing up an opportunity to take a hack, a whack or a poke at the likely MVP candidate, who saw a lot of Selke Trophy finalist Ryan Kesler.

Results:

Nashville 4, St. Louis 3 (Predators lead series 1-0)

Edmonton 5, Anaheim 3 (Oilers lead series 1-0)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night 13 of the NHL playoffs

1.New round, same trends: There used to be a time in the NHL postseason when the team to score first won the game. It didn’t matter at what point the goal was scored, that team was not losing the game and, most likely, was not going to give up the lead. But in the first round alone, seventeen teams won after trailing at some point in the game. Nine of those teams overcame a multi-goal deficit to win while eight teams rallied to win after trailing in the third period. So naturally on the first night of the second round, both games featured a team that failed to hold on to a multi-goal lead. In the first game, Nashville had leads of 2-0 and 3-1 only to see the Blues rally to tie it 3-3 at the 9:22 mark of the third period. But Nashville would get a goal from Vern Fiddler to take a 4-3 victory. In the nightcap, Edmonton fell behind 1-0 but came roaring back and held a 3-1 lead after a pair of goals 1:40 apart in the third period. But Anaheim quickly rallied and made it 3-3 with goals 1:25 apart. The Oilers would break the tie with a late goal by Adam Larsson and go on to win 5-3. So no fully blown leads, but leads evaporated nonetheless.

2. P.K. Subban is still really good The spotlight may not be as bright for P.K. Subban since he departed Montreal, but he still knows how to shine. The dynamic personality with an electrifying game put it on display for Nashville on Wednesday. Subban logged more than 23 minutes of ice time in the opening game victory at St. Louis, picking up a goal and two assists to tie a franchise record for points in a game. He also finished as a plus-3 and nearly had an empty net goal to add to his production if not for an offside call. And as you watched him stand next to the door at the Predators’ bench bouncing with energy, you see why he is such a great personality for the game, on and off the ice. He always finds a way to shine.

3. That other guy who was traded Last summer the hockey world blew up just before the free agency period when in less than a two-hour span there were two blockerbuster deals plus the resigning of Steven Stamkos with the Lightning. In hockey circles, it’s known as the day that Shen Webber was dealt for Subban, Stamkos signed and former first overall pick Taylor Hall was moved by the Edmonton Oilers. Rarely is it mentioned that defenseman Adam Larsson was the other player dealt on that monumental day, sent from New Jersey to Edmonton in the Hall deal. Well, on Wednesday, Larsson reminded plenty that he was also a former high first round draft pick, scoring twice and adding an assist in Edmonton’s victory, including the game-winner late in the third, skating with the puck in to the zone and getting down low before throwing a puck on net that bounced in off the skate of an Anaheim defenseman’s skate with under five minutes to go.

What’s on tap for night 14 on the NHL playoffs: The Eastern Conference semifinals get underway with the New York Rangers visiting Ottawa to open up action in the Atlantic Division, with a 7 p.m. EDT scheduled puck drop on CNBC. Then the showcase series of the postseason will drop the puck at 7:30 p.m. on EDT on NBCSN as the Pittsburgh Penguins head to Verizon Center to open up the Metro Division side of the bracket against the Washington Capitals.

NIGHT 12, APRIL 23

The only two series remaining in the first round each played Game 6 of their series, with Ottawa in Boston in the afternoon before Washington headed to Toronto. And in a first round series filled with plenty of overtime affairs and games decided by one goal, it should be no surprise that both games on Sunday went to overtime and were decided by one goal. And with both games going beyond regulation, it marked the record-breaking 18th game that required overtime in the first round, which translates to 42.9 percent of all games that took part in the first round went to overtime.

Results

Ottawa 3, Boston 2 (OT) (Ottawa wins series 4-2)

Washington 2, Toronto 1 (OT) (Washington wins series 4-2)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on the 12th night of the NHL playoffs (and the final night of the first round)

1. No better overtime hero for Ottawa There were many who wondered if Clark MacArthur would ever play in the NHL again. Perhaps just as many wondered if he even should play in the NHL again. MacArthur missed all but four games in 2015-16 due to a concussion. Then, during training camp, MacArthur took a hit along the boards and suffered another concussion that kept him out most of the season. But at the end of the season, MacArthur made a surprise return to the lineup with four games remaining in the regular season to help the Senators clinch a playoff berth. When he scored a goal in Game 2 against the Bruins, it marked his first goal in the NHL since Game 3 against Montreal on April 19, 2015, nearly two years to the day which set off an emotional celebration. So it seemed fitting that it was MacArthur would score the overtime winner for the Senators to clinch a berth in the second round of the playoffs.

2. Capitals find their MoJo There was no more interesting and entertaining series to open the post season than Toronto giving Washington everything it could handle. In a series many predicted would be over in no more than five games with Washington waltzing to the second round, Toronto turned it in to more of a rumble and matched the Caps step-for-step as every game in the series was decided by a goal, five of the six games were decided in overtime and Washington found itself trailing in the series after three games. At no point did the Capitals look like the dominant team everybody expected. And things started to take a bleak outlook for the Capitals when Toronto took a 1-0 lead midway through the third period. But Marcus Johansson would tie the game and send things to overtime again. It was in the overtime that the Capitals – likely wanting to avoid a Game 7 – finally looked like the President’s Trophy winner facing the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Washington dominated things, thoroughly outplaying the Leafs, pinning them in the Toronto zone. Then finally, after an icing call against the Leafs, the Capitals dispatched of the pesky Leafs when Johansson scored the series-clinching goal 6:31 in to the overtime and send Washington to the second round.

3. Auston Matthews shines in playoff debut Matthews figures to be the Calder Trophy winner after a 40-goal rookie campaign that started with a record-breaking four-goal debut back in October. He will likely garner some MVP votes when the NHL holds its awards show in June. And after a bit of a slow start to the postseason with no points in the opening two games, he made his mark in Game 3 with a goal and two points. By the time the series ended, Matthews had goals in four consecutive games and put his exclamation mark on things with a spectacular goal to open the scoring. As Matthews came in to the offensive zone, a dump-in by Morgan Rielly hit a stanchion and redirected back to the middle of the ice where Matthews pounced on the puck and in one motion, scooped the puck on to his stick and made a quick move to bring his hands in and lift the puck almost lacrosse style and lifted the puck in to the top corner for a 1-0 lead that caused an eruption inside the Air Canada Centre. It was a heckuva way for Matthews to end his rookie season.

What’s on tap for night 13 The league will be silent. With the first round complete, the second round will not start until Wednesday when both Western Conference series will get underway while the two Eastern Conference series will begin on Thursday. The second round matchups are: Washington vs. Pittsburgh and Ottawa vs. New York Rangers in the East while Anaheim faces Edmonton and Nashville plays St. Louis.

NIGHT, 11, APRIL 22

it was a three-dog night around the NHL with all three games featuring the “underdog” looking to close out the series. Two were lower seeded teams while the other felt like the underdog heading in to the series despite being the higher seed going up against the defending conference champion.

Results St. Louis 4, Minnesota 3 (OT) (St. Louis wins series 4-1)

New York Rangers 3, Montreal 1 (New York wins series 4-2)

Edmonton 3, San Jose 1 (Edmonton wins series 4-2)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night 11 of the NHL playoffs

1. Frauds tend to get exposed I picked the Montreal Canadiens to beat the Rangers. I figured it would go seven games,but had the Canadiens getting out of the first round and then advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. After watching how Montreal played down the stretch under Claude Julien, I felt the Canadiens looked like a team primed for a deep playoff run. But I should have known better because I’ve said it for some time now that Montreal is a fraud of a team built entirely around the world’s best (debatable) goaltender in Carey Price. (If you don’t believe me, ask Greg Linnelli But without any sort of a consistent offensive threat outside of hoping Shea Weber scores on the power play or Max Pacioretty finds some space, it’s hard to win games relying solely on the goaltender, no matter how good he is. And for years, no matter the coach, there hasn’t been a balanced offense to speak of and we should have seen just how much Montreal relies on its goaltender than last year when the Canadiens plummeted in the standings when Price missed most of the season. So shame on me for not realizing that Montreal was still the same old Canadiens incapable of winning games without the goaltender stealing his fair share.

2. Good duo in the booth I’ve been meaning to mention this before, but after watching more than my fair share of the Edmonton-San Jose series, I’ve enjoyed the duo of Brendan Burke (NY Islanders new TV voice) and Mike Johnson calling the series. It’s the first time I’ve got the chance to listen to Burke as I didn’t pick up any of the Islanders games on the package this season. And while I’m sure we’d all like to hear Rick Peckham involved and calling a series (and this probably would have been his series were he selected), Burke has done a solid job handling the series, which has seen plenty take place including a 7-0 blowing in Game 4. Johnson, meanwhile, continues to show his strength as an in-game analyst with the type of information and insight you would expect from a former player. Admittedly I didn’t see this from Johnson during his brief time with the Lightning, but he’s built himself a solid career both during game telecasts and with his studio work on NHL Network.

3.Say what, J.R? I still can’t believe what I heard Jeremy Roenick say during the first intermission of the San Jose-Edmonton game. While the discussion centered around the New York Rangers victory over the Montreal Canadiens, Roenick called it a No. 8 seed knocking off a No. 1 seed. Say what? C’mon J.R., there’s no way this sort of a statement should be uttered from a national analyst. I get that it was a “wild card” team against a division winning team. But the Rangers were actually the fifth place team in the East, they were a 100-point team and finished one point behind the Canadiens in the standings. It’s inexcusable to make this sort of confusion just because of what the playoff format looks like.

What’s on tap for night 12 Two games on the schedule, both in the Eastern Conference as the first round starts to wind down. The day starts at 3 p.m. on NBC as the Boston Bruins host the Ottawa Senators in Game 6 as Ottawa has a second chance to eliminate the Bruins and advance to the second round. Boston won in double overtime on Friday to force a Game 6 in a series where every game has been decided by a goal. At 7 p.m. on NBCSN, Washington has the chance to finally put away the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of their series after the Capitals won in overtime on Friday. Four of the five games in this series to date have needed overtime and all five games have been decided by a goal.

Game I’m most interested in As stated before, I find it hard to take my attention away from the Washington-Toronto series with so many compelling story lines to follow. The Leafs have given Washington a bigger test than many would have imagined and the Capitals have yet to pass.

NIGHT TEN, APRIL 21

A light schedule on the docket with only a pair of Eastern Conference games on tap, which would have suggested that getting to bed at a decent time on the East Coast would not be a problem. But, in the first round full of overtimes, there were three of them on tap despite just two games on the schedule. It was almost like having an extra game as Toronto and Washington went to overtime for the fourth time in give games in the series while Ottawa and Boston went to double overtime to determine a winner.

Results: Washington 2, Toronto 1 (OT) – (Washington leads series 3-2)

Boston 3, Ottawa 2 (2OT) – (Ottawa leads series 3-2)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night ten of the NHL playoffs.

1. What exactly is goaltender interference? Quite the polarizing play that took place in the first overtime in Ottawa when the Bruins appeared to notch the winner. But on the play, Sean Kuraly was driving the net down the slot to get a shot on goal and as he made his way through the crease, appeared to bump Senators’ goaltender Craig Anderson. As Anderson rolled over, Noel Acciari pushed the puck in to the net and Boston began to celebrate. But it was ruled no-goal on the ice and the call was upheld on review. That set off a significant amount of debate on the play, with some outraged that the goal was waived off while the other side there was no way the goal should count. Even Jeremy Roenick chimed in on the intermission report saying he doesn’t understand what is goaltender inference and asking the league to rewrite the rule so it’s not such a grey area. Good luck with that one, Jeremy.

2. Have a Coke and a smile In the first period of the Toronto-Washington game, Leafs’ super pest Nazim Kadri dropped down and delivered a hit that sent Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin flying in to the air and left him needing help to get off the ice. Kadri was given a tripping call on the play and while Ovechkin remained in the locker room – drinking a Coke – the Capitals would score on the power play to take a 1-0 lead. While all of that was taking place, the debate raged over whether or not Kadri delivered a clean hip check or a low-bridge clipping penalty. And just like the goaltender interference, it was a staunch belief on both sides of the debate. And there was no way of convincing the other side they were wrong. Ovechkin, meanwhile, returned to the ice to start the second period to a loud ovation. The fact Ovechkin did not suffer an injury softened the debate, at least for one more night.

3. Leads are still not safe Another two-goal lead evaporated on Friday as the Bruins fell behind 2-0 in the first period and clawed back to tie the game and force overtime. I’ve lost count of how many teams have overcame a multi-goal deficit in the playioffs this season. Edmont also just accomplished this on Thursday, overcoming a 3-1 deficit to come back and tie San Jose before winning in overtime in Game 5 of that series. It’s a trend that does not appear to be stopping and it feels as if it’s happened as many times as there have been overtimes, and Friday marked the 14th and 15th overtime games in this round.

What’s on tap for night 11 of the NHL playoffs Three games on the schedule, which feels like a heavy schedule considering three series have already been completed – Anaheim, Nashville and Pittsburgh are already in to the second round. The action starts at 3 p.m as St. Louis has a second chance to eliminate the Minnesota Wild with a 3 p.m game at Xcel Energy Center on NBC. Then at 8 p.m. the New York Rangers return to Madison Square Garden on NBC up 3-2 against the Montreal Canadiens and have the chance to move on the the second round. The night concludes at 10:30 p.m .on NBCSN as San Jose tries to stave off elimination against the Oilers in Game 6.

Game I’m most interested in watching While all three on tap are elimination games, I’m keeping an eye on the St. Louis Blues and whether or not they can close out the Wild and if Jake Allen can continue his stellar play as he has not allowed more than two goals in any game. But after winning the first three games of the series despite Minnesota outplaying the Blues at times, if the Wild can win a second consecutive game, all of a sudden the Blues might start to sweat a little, just as we saw Tampa Bay in 2015 after winning the opening three games against Montreal before losing Games 3 and 4. The pressure shifted big time to the Lightning to close things out in six. St. Louis is facing a similar scenario.

NIGHT NINE, APRIL 20

Another four-game night on the schedule around the league, two games in each conference. And we saw one series in each conference end in a handshake line, including one in a surprising sweep. The other two series were swing games, each a Game 5.

Results: Pittsburgh 5, Columbus 2 (Pittsburgh wins series 4-1)

New York 3, Montreal 2 (OT) (New York leads series 3-2)

Nashville 3, Chicago 1 (Nashville wins series 4-0)

Edmonton4, San Jose 3 (OT) (Edmonton leads series 3-2)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on the ninth night of the NHL playoffs.

1.Bring out the brooms Plenty of brackets were busted on Thursday as the Nashville Predators completed a shocking sweep of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Chicago Blackhawks. Nashville became just the third No. 8 seed to sweep the top seed in the opening round of the playoffs since conference play started in 1974-75. The Predators did it with a relentless puck pursuit strategy that took advantage of their speed which led to puck possession. That kept Chicago’s top players from being dangerous while goaltender Pekka Rinne was the backbone of it all, allowing a total of three goals in the four games. Nashville moves on to face the winner of the St. Louis-Minnesota series.

2. Habs are on the ropes There is no better atmosphere in hockey than a playoff game in Montreal. The buzz builds up throughout the day, a Habs carnival is held just down the hill from the Bell Centre – and yes, they have a Canadiens themed Ferris Wheel. The pregame spectacle can leave attendees feeling goosebumps, even fans of the opposing team. The New York Rangers, however, had the best road record in the NHL and are unfazed by the hoopla surrounding a Habs home game. New York put the Canadiens on the brink of elimination after dominating the overtime session on Thursday that led to Mika Zibanejad’s winner to put the Rangers up 3-2 in the series. New York has won two of the three games at Bell Centre and were seconds away from winning all three as it took a last-minute goal by Montreal in Game 2 to send that game to overtime where the Canadiens won the game.

3. The grey beards can still play The young and swift Edmonton Oilers were a slight favorite to knock off the defending Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks. But watching Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, both well past the 1,000 game mark, break up the ice on a 2-on-1 – aided by a fumbled line change by the Oilers – showed that the veteran Sharks are not intimidated by the up-and-coming Oilers, led by likely MVP Connor McDavid. San Jose has silenced McDavid for the most part in the series. limiting the chances for the Art Ross Trophy winner, who has just one goal and three points in five games. But as savvy as San Jose is with a veteran laden team, it proved to be the young legs that took advantage in the overtime, dominating the extra session before winning with less than two minutes left in the overtime.

What’s on tap for night 10 of the NHL playoffs A light schedule on the ice with just a pair of games that will allow those on the
East Coast to find a decent bed time. Toronto heads to Washington for Game 5, which is scheduled to start at 7 p.m EDT from Verizon Center in a series that has seen three overtime games and all four games decided by one goal. At 7:30 p.m EDT, the Ottawa Senators return home with the chance to eliminate the Boston Bruins, holding a 3-1 series lead after taking both games at TD Center in Boston. This is another series where all four games have been decided by a goal, including two in overtime.

Game I’m interested in watching While I’ll have my eye on the series opener for Syracuse in the AHL playoffs, I can’t take my eyes off the Toronto-Washington series. So many compelling issues taking place in that series, from the scare the Leafs have already put in to the top-seeded Capitals, the amount of goals that have been scored and the ice time story lines surrounding Alex Ovechkin and Kevin Shattenkirk. It’s made for wonderful theater that is nearing the crescendo.

NIGHT EIGHT, APRIL 19

Two in the East, two in the West in a perfectly balanced night across the NHL. The high-scoring affair between Toronto and Washington continued in a high-tempo game while it was the exact opposite in Boston in Game 4 against the Ottawa Senators. Out west both St. Louis and Anaheim were looking for the sweep and become the first team(s) to advance to the second round.

Results: Washington 5, Toronto 4 (Series tied 2-2)

Ottawa 1, Boston 0 (Ottawa leads 3-1)

Minnesota 2, St. Louis 0 (St. Louis leads 3-1)

Anaheim 3, Calgary 1 (Anaheim wins 4-0)

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on the eighth night of the NHL playoffs

1. Quick hook Calgary starting goaltender Brian Elliott lasted a whole five minutes, 38 seconds in to the game against Anaheim. With the Flames clinging to their playoff lives down 0-3 to the Ducks, it figured the leash might be short for Elliott. Sure, Patrick Eaves opened the scoring with a bad angle shot that deflected and found a hole through Elliott’s legs. But honestly, if you have that little faith in the goaltender you are starting, why was he starting in the first place. The Flames could have had Ben Bishop during the summer but couldn’t come to terms on a contract extension and the deal with Tampa Bay fell through and Calgary turned its attention to Elliott. Would have to think the Flames put in a call to Bishop again this summer because there is a gaping hole in net for Calgary.

2. Alaskan Assassin on fire Former Tampa Bay center Nate Thompson missed most of the regular season while recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in the summer. Thompson was limited to just 30 games in the regular season and had just a goal and two points. But the postseason as seen Thompson become a contributor. Through four games, Thompson has two goals and four points, all coming in the past two games. Thompson has goals in consecutive games and was at the top of the crease and nearly deflected in the overtime winner in Game 3 that was credited to Corey Perry. With his two goals, Thompson has tied a playoff career best and needs two points to tie his career playoff high.

3. Ice time concerns in Washington As the Capitals have had their struggles against the Maple Leafs in their series, which is now tied 2-2 after Washington’s victory on Wednesday, some of the story line has centered around the amount of ice time for a couple of the Caps star players. Alex Ovechkin was at the center of that discussion heading in to Game 4 after the Washington captain played just 15:08 in the loss on Monday in Game 3, just 12:40 at even strength. It didn’t really get too much better despite the victory in Game 4 as Ovechkin logged 16:31, with 15:55 at even strength, mainly due to Washington just having one power play in the game. His 25 shifts on Wednesday were three more than he received in previous game, though he did not see the ice in the final three-plus minutes and Washington holding on to the lead. Then, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, the biggest trade deadline acquisition this season, played just 12:54 in Game 4 – the fewest of any Washington defensemen – and his 18 shifts were five fewer than he had in Game 3, though again with just one power play chance in the game it limits Shattenkirk’s strength. Something to keep a closer eye on for Game 5 on Friday.

What’s on tap for night nine Four games on the schedule, with one elimination game on the docket. A pair of 7 p.m. EDT games start the night off with New York at Montreal for Game 5 on USA Network with the series tied 2-2 while Pittsburgh hosts Columbus on NHL Network with a second chance to eliminate the Blue Jackets. The Nashville Predators look to close out the top seed in the West, holding a 3-0 lead on the Chicago Blackhawks with an 8 p.m. EDT scheduled start on NBCSN. The late-night action closes out with San Jose in Edmonton for Game 5 of a 2-2 series with a 10:30 p.m. EDT start on NBCSN.

Game I’m most interested in watching New York at Montreal. The Rangers nearly took both games at Bell Centre to start the series, with a last-minute goal to force overtime in Game 2 that Montreal won in overtime. The Rangers were the best road team during the regular season, but just snapped a six-game playoff home losing streak in Game 4, so with the home struggles New York has experienced, it almost feels like a must-win for New York.

NIGHT SEVEN, APRIL 18

A light night and surprisingly, no overtime on the Eastern Conference side of things, although both games were decided by only a goal. Columbus staved off elimination, hanging on for a 5-4 victory against the Penguins to send the series back to Pittsburgh. The New York Rangers pulled even with the Montreal Canadiens, evening up the series 2-2 after a 2-1 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on the seventh night of the NHL playoffs

1.Dance Columbus, Dance The Blue Jackets needed something good to happen. Down 0-3 in the series to Pittsburgh after blowing a 3-1 lead in Game 3, Columbus head coach John Tortorella said in the morning that all he wanted was for his team to feel the joy of a playoff victory and for them to “turn on that crap music” and “just jam” to it after the game, which only happens after a victory. The Blue Jackets looked well on their way to a post-game dance party, building a 3-0 lead early in the second period. But as we’ve seen already throughout the playoffs, no lead is safe. The Penguins would surge and drew to within 3-2 by the end of the middle frame. Columbus extended it to 4-2 early in the third, but Pittsburgh answered that a few minutes later to pull it back to a one-goal game. The Blue Jackets would extend it back out to a two-goal lead, but the Penguins once again cut the lead to a goal in the final minute before Columbus was able to close it out and keep the series alive.

The streak is over, long live the King Madison Square Garden was turning in to a Garden of Nightmares for the New York Rangers in the playoffs. Entering Tuesday’s Game 4, New York had lost six consecutive playoff games on home ice – the final three games of the 2015 Eastern Conference finals against Tampa Bay, both games last season against Pittsburgh and in Game 3 of their current series against Montreal. And the Rangers were starting to feel that pressure, as New York fans and continued to bring that fact up in conversations. And Henrik Lundqvist led the way, withstanding an first-period barrage by Montreal, turning aside 11 of the 12 shots he faced. New York calmed its game down after that, allowing just 12 shots the rest of the way while Rick Nash provided the game-winner in the second period.

The (other) streak is dead as Sharks swarm Where, oh where, had the San Jose offensive disappeared to in its series against Edmonton? The Sharks entered Tuesday’s Game 4 against the Oilers having been shutout in the previous two games to fall behind 2-1 in the series. On top of that, San Jose’s power play not only wasn’t producing, but proved to be costly in a Game 2 loss, allowing a pair of shorthanded goals in a 2-0 loss. Well, so much for that. San Jose scored 15 seconds in to the game as Joe Pavelski deflected a puck past Cam Talbot ending his shutout streak at 120 minutes, 15 seconds. With that drought over, San Jose would cash in on the power play on the first attempt of the night. And the Sharks just kept on swarming, building the lead up to 5-0 and chasing Talbot from the game at the 12:52 mark of the second period before adding a sixth goal on another power play goal after Leon Draisaitl was handed a major penalty and was ejected for a spear to the – ahem – gentle area of Chris Tierny. Brent Burns, who had been quiet in the first three games after leading all defenseman in scoring during the regular season, had three assists by the end of the second period.

What’s on tap for night eight: Four games on the schedule, including two potential elimination games in the Western Conference while the two games in the East are potential swing games. it gets underway at 7 p.m. on NBCSN as Washington looks to get even with Toronto in a series that has seen all three games to this point decided in overtime. At 7:30 p.m. on USA Network, Boston hosts Ottawa with the Senators up 2-1, with Ottawa winning the past two games in overtime. Out West, the St. Louis Blues are on the verge of sweeping the the Minnesota Wild with puck drop scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on NBCSN while Anaheim can knock out the Calgary Flames with a 10 p.m. scheduled start on USA Network.

Game I’m most interested in watching Toronto has shocked the hockey world taking a 2-1 series lead against the heavily favored Washington Capitals. The Leafs look like a determined group, not phased at all while taking on the President’s Trophy winner. But, how do they handle all the attention they have received for taking an unexpected lead in the series? Some Leafs fans have already suggested how they can beat the Penguins in the second round. Yup, that’s how crazy it’s gotten in the self-proclaimed center of the Hockey Universe. The pressure might now have shifted ever so slightly toward Toronto.

NIGHT SIX, APRIL 17

Another night of playoff hockey, another night of overtime, playoff hockey. There are very few things better in professional sports than playoff hockey. All four games on Monday were the third game of each series, with the Eastern series tied 1-1 coming in while the two Western Conference games saw each with one team looking to go up 3-0 in the series. And those Eastern games on Monday were great entertainment and proved that even in the playoffs, big leads are not safe.

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on the sixth night of the 2017 NHL playoffs.

1. No lead is safe In the playoffs, the team that scores first is almost an automatic victory. At least, that’s the way it used to be. When a team went up 1-0 in a game, it was virtually game over. In recent years, with the crackdown on hooking and holding (for the most part) it has allowed for a bit more ability for players to use their skill. On Monday, a pair of multi-goal leads evaporated under the playoff spotlight. Washington had leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in Toronto but saw that disappear before the Leafs scored an overtime power play goal to take a 2-1 series lead. In Boston, the Senators had a 3-0 lead, but the Bruins scored three times in a seven-minute span in the second period to pull back even before Ottawa won in overtime, also on a power play goal. Then in the third game of the night, the Chicago Blackhawks had a 2-0 lead heading in to the third, but Nashville scored twice to pull even and give everybody a third overtime game on the night. Then, to complete the night off in proper fashion, Calgary failed to hold on to a 4-1 lead on home ice as Anaheim came all the way back to tie things up and force the fourth overtime game of the night. Overall in the playoffs to this point, eight teams have seen a multi-goal game get erased.

2. Be-Leafs growing in confidence With a city alive with playoff hopes in and around Air Canada Centre, Toronto returned home after splitting the first two games against the powerhouse Capitals to a raucous atmosphere. But the crowd sat in stunned silence early in the game as Washington took a 2-0 lead early in the first period and the Capitals looked on the verge of finally doing what everybody expected them to do – pull away and impose their will on the young Leafs. Instead, the underdog team just kept playing and skating and eventually tied the game. Now, the team with high expectations and everything to lose, is down in the series to the upstart team playing like they are just happy to be there, having fun and have nothing to lose.

3. Working overtime What a night of hockey. All four games went to overtime. It made for a very late night as the final game, won by Anaheim in the opening minutes, ended sometime around 1:10 a.m. EDT. It started first in Toronto, when the Maples Leafs won early in overtime on a power play goal by Tyler Bozak for a 4-3 victory against Washington. That game ended in just enough time to turn it over to see Bobby Ryan score a power play goal for a 4-3 Ottawa victory to take a 2-1 series lead against Boston. Then out West (or actually, Central) Nashville erased a two-goal lead – getting the tying goal on a somewhat controversial fashion as Corey Crawford appeared to be interfered with, but was ruled outside the crease where incidental contact is allowable – before Kevin Fiala won the game to give the Predators a 3-0 series lead. And once again, that game ended in just enough time to hit the “Go Back” button on the remote to flip over to NBCSN to see Corey Perry throw a puck on net that caromed off defenseman Michael Stone to give Anaheim the victory and a commanding 3-0 series lead. What a night of hockey, hope you have the coffee to get you through the day and prepared for another night of hockey.

What’s on tap for night seven: Just three games on the schedule for Tuesday, though there is a chance for elimination in Columbus as the Pittsburgh Penguins have the chance to sweep the Blue Jackets at 7:30 p.m. on CNBC. Montreal will look to go up 3-1 on the New York Rangers at 7 p.m. on NBCSN while Edmonton, coming off consecutive shutout victories, looks for a 3-1 series lead in San Jose at 10 p.m. on NBCSN.

Game I’m interested in watching Can the Rangers win on home ice? New York looks to end a six-game playoff losing streak at Madison Square Garden while trying to tie the series against the Montreal Canadiens. Henrik Lundqvist has been strong in the series, but he could use some help to try and get back in the series.

NIGHT FIVE, APRIL 16

Another four-night game on the docket, but Washington was off so no epic Easter playoff overtime game to speak of. But, of course, there was overtime, which marked the seventh overtime of the playoffs already. There has not been a night to date that has not included at least one overtime game. And with all four games on the schedule on Sunday the third game of each series, it was a pivotal night with two teams looking to take strangleholds on their series with two others looking to take the swing game. And there was also a little bit of controversy.

Here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on the fifth night of the 2017 NHL playoffs.

1. The whistle should have blown in Columbus There is a rule in the NHL book that play does not stop for an injury on the ice until possession is gained by the team with injured player on the ice. But if the player is in danger, the officials have the discretion to stop play. During the second period in Columbus, Blue Jackets’ defenseman Zach Werenski took a puck to the face that struck him just below the eye. He immediately dropped to the ice as blood began to spill from the opened wound. As Werenski lay prone on the ice in the high slot area, play continued. And of course the Penguins scored the tying goal. While Werenski was eventually able to get up off the ice on his own power and eventually return to the game wearing a full cage, he eventually was unable to play in the overtime after his eye swelled shut. After the game Werenski showed how much distress he was under with a selfie on his Twitter account after the Penguins won in overtime to take a 3-0 series lead:

Playoff hockey… pic.twitter.com/4GNoLYVECu

— Zach Werenski (@ZachWerenski) April 17, 2017

2. Madison Square Mystery The Rangers can’t win at home in the playoffs. At least, not lately. You have to go back to Game 1 of the 2015 Eastern Conference finals to see the last playoff victory at Madison Square Garden by the Broadway Blueshirts. New York would lose Games 2, 5 and 7 against Tampa Bay in the 2015 ECF before dropping both games at home to Pittsburgh last year. On Sunday, New York was nearly shutout by the Canadiens in Game 3 of the series, marking the sixth consecutive home ice playoff loss by the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist is doing what he can to try and give his team a lift, but he got almost no help in front of him on Sunday. The Rangers managed just 21 shots on goal, 18 of those at even strength. That’s not going to be anywhere near good enough to beat Carey Price. New York needs to get its act together quickly in Game 4 and snap the home losing streak or it’s going to be a quick exit for the second consecutive season.

3. Wild going crazy The Minnesota Wild were the highest scoring team at 5-on-5 play during the regular season. Through the opening three games of their series against St. Louis, the Wild have a total of three goals with only one of them have come during 5-on-5 play. Minnesota has not been bad in this series, it’s just Jake Allen and the Blues’ defense have been that good and that’s why St. Louis is up 3-0 in the series despite scoring just seven goals in three games. Allen has stopped 114-of-117 shots he has faced, having already recorded a 51-save game (in overtime), Allen stopped another 40 shots in a 3-1 victory on Sunday. After the game, Minnesota head coach Bruce Boudreau walked out of his postgame press conference telling a reporter that he was not going to put down his team despite having lost the opening three games of the series because he feels they have done plenty of positives in the series. He’s not wrong.

What’s on tap for night six, April 17 Another four-night affair around the league as Toronto hosts Washington at 7 p.m. on NBCSN, Ottawa heads to Boston at 7:30 p.m on USA, Nashville looks to take a commanding 3-0 series lead as the Predators host Chicago at 9:30 on CNBC while Anaheim, up 2-0, heads to Calgary at 10 p.m. on NBCSN.

Game I’m most interested in watching Chicago at Nashville: Can’t think many believed the Blackhawks would be down 2-0 in the series heading to Nashville, let alone having yet to score a goal to star the series. Now, as things shift to Bridgestone Arena, the pressure all of a sudden starts to shift with it. Nashville, considered the underdog heading in to the series, all of a sudden now is looked at as the favorite after winning the opening two games. Now they are supposed to win the series and history suggests very few teams win the first two games of a best-of-seven series on the road go on to lose the series. How will they handle the shift in expectations returning to home ice against a team many predicted to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

NIGHT FOUR, APRIL 15

It was a playoff hockey marathon day on Tax Day, with the first game of the day getting underway at 3 p.m. in Ottawa and ending late in to the night in Anaheim. We also had our first multiple-overtime game as Toronto and Washington, the second game of the day to get underway, played deep in to the night at Verizon Center. it was the second overtime game of the day after Ottawa rallied in the third to get to overtime before tying up the series with Boston at 1-1.

So here’s THREE THINGS that stood out on night four of the 2017 NHL playoffs.

1. Erik Karlsson, he’s pretty good The Ottawa captain took control of the game and put the Senators on his back in the htird period to help Ottawa rally for a pair of third period goals. After Boston scored a shorthanded goal, created on a Craig Anderson gaffe with the puck, Karlsson was seen yelling on the bench for his teammates to start working as a failed backcheck on the shorthanded goal gave Tim Schaller an empty net to shoot at. Then, on Ottawa’s tying goal, Karlsson made an all-world play as he circled high in the zone with ridiculous speed that mesmerized everybody in the building, including the Bruins’ defense who were caught watching Karlsson maneuver around the zone, leaving a perfect seam for Karlsson to zip a pass over to a wide open Derrick Brassard for the tying goal. It was a fantastic play at a clutch time of the game to help Ottawa pull even in the series.

2. Chicago, we have a problem Nashville figured to be a difficult first-round opponent for the Blackhawks, which eased in to the final couple of weeks of the season after pulling away with the lead in the Central Division. But nobody saw this start coming to the series as not only have the Blackhawks lost the first two games of the series on home ice, but they have yet to score a goal against Pekka Rinne in 120 minutes of playoff hockey. Now, the odds are stacked high against a team that loses the first two games of a series on home ice coming back to win the series and Chicago has its back against the wall. But it’s a playoff savvy team with plenty of championship experience. But man, who saw this coming.

3. Loveable Leafs? So much has been made about the abundance of high-quality rookies on Toronto heading in to the playoffs, and rightfully so. And in that talk, there was also the talk of the lack of playoff experience on the Leafs’ roster, which again was warranted. But perhaps what got overlooked is the fact that in the one area where playoff experience can really matter is in net and the Leafs have plenty of that with goaltender Fredrik Andersen. He’s been there and done that with the Anaheim Ducks the past few seasons and he has the look of a confident goaltender capable of keeping his team in the game, allowing the Leafs to grow. And already he has done that as Toronto has led heading in to the third period in each of the two games to this point. He can help the talented group in front of him gain all kinds of experience in a short amount of time. Andersen already has many in Leaf-land dreaming of a first-round upset of the heavily favored Capitals.

What’s on tap for Day Five on Easter Sunday Another marathon day of playoff hockey, starting at 3 p.m. with Minnesota at St. Louis, following by Pittsburgh at Columbus at 6 p.m., Montreal at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers at 7 p.m with Edmonton at San Jose the nightcap at 10 p.m.

Game I’m most interested in watching Pittsburgh at Columbus: After the Blue Jackets fell behind in the series 2-0, head coach John Tortorella praised his team for the way they played, saying he wouldn’t ask them to do anything differently, other than win the game and score more goals than Pittsburgh. It’s a brilliant motivational tactic by the master head coach who has seen this before. In 2003, a young Lightning team fell behind 2-0 after losing the opening two games on home ice against Washington, but Tortorella did not run his team down, trying to keep things upbeat as the Lightning won the next four games and advance in the postseason for the first time in franchise history. Can he do it again against the defending Stanley Cup Champions?

NIGHT THREE, APRIL 14

Back to the usual four-game night, with two games in each conference for the second game of each series. Canada, the nation to the north, was still seeking its first victory in these playoffs while three home teams were looking to rebound to try to even the series.

So here’s THREE THINGS that stood out to me from night three

1. The State of Hockey is panic – The Minnesota Wild are in trouble. They can’t score and they can’t win. Sure, it’s certainly not from a lack of trying. Minnesota fired more than 50 shots on goal at Jake Allen in Game 1 and it took a last-minute goal to get the game to overtime. Then in Game 2 on Friday, the only goal the Wild scored came on a two-man advantage in the second period to tie the game 1-1. Minnesota was the second highest scoring team in the league during the regular season and averaged 3.3 goals per game at home during the regular season. Yet in two playoff games, they have two goals, neither at even strength (though technically a 6-on-5 is considered even strenght). Now the Wild have to head to St. Louis trying to get some offense going and find somebody other than Zach Parise to light the lamp.

2. Where’s the Calvert for Columbus Not sure what was going through the head of Columbus’ Matt Calvert at the end of the Pittsburgh-Columbus game, but he first broke his stick over the shoulder/neck/head of Thomas Kuhnhackl, which was an egregious act in and of it self. But it wasn’t enough for Calvert, who circled around and then delivered a vicious cross-check to an unsuspecting Kuhnhackl. That sort of tomfoolery has zero place in the game. Zero. And if he’s not suspended for the remainder of the series against Pittsburgh – which might just be two more games the way things are going for the Blue Jackets right now – then shame on the NHL Department of Player Safety. I don’t care if he’s not a repeat offender, if that’s his first time crossing the line, then he performed a World Record long jump to the other side.

3. Canada’s on the board I’m a little tongue-in-cheek on this one,but finally a Canadian team picked up a victory. But it took a last-season rescue to put one on the board for the Montreal Canadiens, who tied the game in the dying seconds against the New York Rangers to force overtime. To be honest, it’s not really a thing that a Canadian team didn’t win any of the opening games, it really isn’t. It’s coincidental, nothing more. But some others were making a big deal out of it seeing as it’s supposed to be Canada’s sport and all. In my opinion, there’s a bit too much of a romance with the Canadian teams that is eclipsed only by the romance for the Original Six. They are teams just like any other team, with a general manager, coach and players all trying to win, it shouldn’t matter what market they are from.

What’s on tap for Saturday, April 15: Four Game Twos hit the airwaves, Boston at Ottawa, Toronto at Boston, Nashville at Chicago and Calgary at Anaheim.

Game I’m most interested in watching: Toronto at Washington. Many believe that the Leafs performance in Game 1 was a sign this is going to be a close series. But me, I feel that was the worst game the Capitals are going to play in this series and Toronto couldn’t win it. Toronto is trying to spin it that the game gave them confidence, but now it might start to get away from the Leafs as the favorites to win the Cup this season have their playoff skates under them. If the Caps come out and control the game, as many expect them to do in this series, it will go a long way to establishing their will on the young Leafs roster and could make it the short series many predict.

NIGHT TWO, APRIL 13

Relatively light schedule with just three games on the schedule, with the top seeds in both conferences in action – Chicago and Washington. The Anaheim-Calgary series also opened up in what should be a fun series out west.

Three things that stood out from April 13, night two of the playoffs.

1. Top seed struggles The expectations are high for the Washington Capitals with many believing that this is finally going to be the year for Washington to advance out of the second round. But the Capitals hardly looked like the favorite in their opening games on Thursday. The Capitals fell behind 2-0 before finding a way to get back even and winning the game in overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Washington’s slow start has many believing the Leafs are going to be able to hang with the powerhouse Capitals. If Washington continues to play like it did on Thursday, that might hold true.

2. Road ice advantage Teams talk all season about how much home ice advantage means once the season gets to the playoffs. But there is also a thought – mentioned many times by John Tortorella during his time in Tampa – that home ice really only matters in a Game 7. In fact, Tortorella also used to mention many times he would rather start the playoffs on the road where the visitors can be a little more relaxed. That idea is certainly holding true to start the playoffs this season so far as through the opening seven games, five were won by the road team. The only teams to hold serve on home ice in Game 1 were Pittsburgh and Washington.

3. Woe, Canada: This was supposed to be the year of the Canadian teams. One year after all seven teams were shut out of the postseason, five Canadian teams reached the playoff dance this season, giving hope that one of them might end the Stanley Cup drought for Canadian franchises – the last team from Canada to win the Cup came in 1993 when Montreal beat the Los Angeles Kings. But of the five Canadian franchises that reached the playoffs, not one picked up a victory to open a series. Montreal was shutout by the Rangers, Ottawa fell late to Boston while both Edmonton and Toronto failed to hold on to two-goal leads before falling in overtime in Game 1.Calgary was Canada’s last hope but the Flames failed to hold a 2-1 lead and could not overcome some sloppy mistakes and undisciplined play in a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. If this keeps up, a wall of ice will need to go up along the border to prevent Canadian fans from a mass exodus looking for winning hockey teams.

What’s on tap for Friday: Four series resume with Game 2 as New York-Montreal, Columbus-Pittsburgh, St. Louis-Minnesota and San Jose-Edmonton all play.

Game I’m most interested in: Seeing how Montreal rebounds after being shutout is intriguing, but nowhere near as much as seeing how Minnesota responds to dominating the St. Louis Blues only to be stonewalled by Jake Allen, who turned aside 51 shots in Game 1. Will the Wild show the same determination as the opening game or will the emotions of losing the first game carry over?

Five games played on opening night around the NHL playoffs and all but one were decided by one goal, if you take empty net goals out of the equation, and two were decided in overtime. It was also a night that was ruled by the goaltenders. And of the five games that were played, four were won by the road team.

Three things that stood out from April 12, night one of the playoffs:

1. Holy Jumping, Jake! What a night for St. Louis goaltender Jake Allen in Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild. Allen put on a show at Xcel Energy Center, turning aside just about everything sent his way. It was such a good night that even the Wild were keeping pucks out of the St. Louis net as Zach Parise pushed a puck off the goal line late in the game. Allen faced no fewer than 10 shots on goal in any of the first three periods and sat on the verge of pitching 43-save shutout until Parise found redemption with 12 seconds left to tie the game. But it didn’t matter, Allen remained solid in overtime and turned aside another eight shots and finished with 41 saves as the Blues grabbed a 2-1 victor on Joel Edmundson’s goal with 2:12 left to give St. Louis a 1-0 series lead.

2. The King is not dead The only original six matchup in the first round featured two of the top goaltenders in the game – Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist. But after some of the regular season struggles of Lundqvist this season, not to mention in the playoffs last year, there were questions about how well The King would be able to perform and if he would be the backbone of the Rangers’ success as he has for so many years in New York. For one night he put all those doubts to the side as he pitched the 31-save shutout against the Canadiens. Lundqvist was the only reason New York had the lead after the first period as he turned aside 16 shots as Montreal outshot the Rangers 16-5 in the opening period. Long live The King.

3. Hope you don’t like offense Five games were played, a total of 16 goals were scored (not counting the one empty net goal scored on the night). Only two teams reached three goals, and only one of those did it in regulation – Pittsburgh. Sure, we expect offense to drop in the playoffs, it happens virtually every year. Defense becomes the premium, space shrinks and for the most part, whistles are pocketed by the officials so power plays are infrequent. But still, an average of three goals per game spread out over five games is rather low. Goaltending had a little something to say about that, as referenced above, as the Wild could have had three goals per period against St. Louis. Three goals per game, however, feels excessively low for one night. Let’s hope it’s not a trend throughout the postseason.

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