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Bolting To Round 2

April 22, 2018, 8:01 AM ET [4 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs has not been a disappointment.

We've seen a couple of sweeps and a couple of quick-ending series.

The San Jose Sharks devoured the Anaheim Ducks rather quickly, and the Vegas Golden Knights dethroned the LA Kings in short order. The Winnipeg Jets tamed the Minnesota Wild.

The Sharks, Knights and Jets are sitting in the stalls at their practice rinks waiting to learn the identities of their round two opponents.


There were no Western games on Saturday in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when was some of the best hockey we've seen to date in three Eastern Conference series.


The Tampa Lightning earned their berth into the second round by eliminating the New Jersey Devils. The Bolts now join the Sharks, Knights, and Jets in the "advanced to round two" column on the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs ledger.

On Saturday, Washington and Toronto won their respective Game 5 matchups and injected new drama into their first round series.

The Capitals stayed alive with a dramatic OT win on home ice over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Washington now leads their series three games to two.

The Maple Leafs lived to fight another day by forcing a Game 6 showdown with the Boston Bruins on Monday night. The Bruins lead the series three games to two.


In Tampa, Nikita Kucherov scored the series-clinching goal with 7:33 remaining in regulation as the Lightning won Game 5 to advance to the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in the past four seasons (also 2015 and 2016).


* Kucherov is tied for second in the NHL with 5 goals and 5 assists in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs and established a franchise record for most points in a postseason series.





Kucherov now has scored 27 goals and 25 assists for 52 points, all in a Bolts sweater. Kucherov is now tied with Vincent Lecavalier (24G, 28A, 52 point) for second on the Lightning's all-time playoff points scored list behind only Martin St. Louis, who scored 33 goals, 35 assists, and 68 points.



* The Lightning improved to 3-0 on home ice in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, outscoring the Devils 13-6 in those contests. Tampa Bay registered 29 home wins in the 2017-18 regular season, trailing only Winnipeg (32) and Pittsburgh (31) for the most in the NHL.

* The Lightning will face either the Bruins or Maple Leafs in the Second Round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Boston defeated Tampa Bay in their only prior postseason meeting, earning a 1-0 series-clinching win in Game 7 of the 2011 Conference Finals en route to capturing the Stanley Cup. The Lightning and Maple Leafs, meanwhile, have never met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.


* Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (19 years, 300 days) became the youngest player in franchise history to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the fifth teenager to do so in the 2018 First Round, joining Patrik Laine (2), Pierre-Luc Dubois, Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick.

* This marks the first time five teenagers have scored a goal in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 1991 Division Semifinals, when Jaromir Jagr (2), Steven Rice (2), Mike Craig, Keith Primeau and Robert Reichel did so.

* In fact, only one opening round in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) has featured more teenagers scoring at least one goal – the 1980 Preliminary Round, when seven players under the age of 20 each found the back of the net (Brent Ashton, Laurie Boschman, Ray Bourque, Wayne Gretzky, Tom McCarthy, Mark Messier and Mike Ramsey).




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In a topsy turvy game that flowed back and forth, Nick Backstrom scored at 11:53 of OT to give the Washington Capitals to their third straight win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and a 3-2 series lead. Backstrom potted 2 goals and and added an assist for the Capitals on Saturday.


* Backstrom scored his fourth career OT game winner in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to extend his franchise record. Only Joe Sakic (8), Maurice Richard (6), Patrick Kane (5) and Glenn Anderson (5) have scored more such goals in Stanley Cup Playoff history.






* Elias notes that when a best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 holds an all-time series record of 201-54 (78.8%).



* The Caps required overtime in a playoff game for the 66th time in franchise history, tied for the ninth-most among all NHL franchises and third-most by any non-Original Six club. Thirty-five of those contests have occurred since the start of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, trailing only Chicago (38) for the most in that span.

* In fact, the Capitals have required overtime in 13 of their last 24 postseason games dating to Game 1 of the 2016 Conference Semifinals vs. PIT, including nine of their last 11 taking place in the First Round. Washington is the first team in NHL history to play a combined nine overtime games in the opening round of back-to-back postseasons.

* The 2018 First Round series between the Capitals and Blue Jackets is the 17th series in NHL history to feature at least four overtime games and the second for Washington in as many campaigns – their six-game series against Toronto in the 2017 First Round tied the NHL record with five overtime games.




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Facing elimination in a hostile building in Boston, the Maple Leafs jumped out to a 4-1 lead before the angry bears fought back with a ferocious third period rally. In the end, Frederik Andersen made 42 saves and sealed the deal in Game 5 to make it a 3-2 series. Game 6 will be played in Toronto on Monday night.

* Andersen became the fifth goaltender in Leafs history to make at least 40 saves to win in an elimination game. Elias notes that he joined Wayne Thomas in Game 6 of the 1976 Quarterfinals vs. PHI (42), Mike Palmateer in Game 3 of the 1983 Division Semifinals vs. MNS (47), Felix Potvin in Game 6 of the 1995 Conference Quarterfinals vs. CHI (46) and James Reimer in Game 5 of 2013 Conference Quarterfinals at BOS (43).

* Saturday's win in Beantown marked the sixth time in 16 tries that the Toronto Maple Leafs won Game 5 when facing a 3-1 series deficit in a best-of-seven series. The other instances: 1942 Stanley Cup Final vs. DET (9-3 W), 1988 Division Semifinals at DET (6-5 OT W), 1996 Conference Quarterfinals vs. STL (5-4 OT W), 2002 Conference Finals at CAR (1-0 W) and 2013 Conference Quarterfinals at BOS (2-1 W).

* The Maple Leafs own an all-time series record of 1-14 when facing a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven. Toronto rallied for its only such win in the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings – a series they trailed 3-0.





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Today, the Philadelphia Flyers and Colorado Avalanche each look to force a Game 7 in their respective series. The Flyers and Avs each executed the unthinkable when they won dramatic Game 5 victories where they both scored a go-ahead goal in the final minute and a half of regulation play to avoid being kicked to the curb.


With victories on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators will advance to the Second Round.


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Thanks, NHL
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