#NHLPeachy @NHL NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition – May 21, 2021
THREE HARD LAPS
* Paul Byron scored a highlight-reel shorthanded goal in the third period to power the Canadiens past the Maple Leafs in their first head-to-head playoff game in over 42 years.
* Florida rallied past Tampa Bay in the 10th postseason contest in NHL history where both teams overcame a multi-goal deficit. The Golden Knights and Islanders also erased a two-goal deficit to at least tie their respective game.
* Two of Thursday’s four contests featured either a tying or go-ahead goal scored in the final four minutes of regulation. There were eight game-tying goals overall.
BYRON, PRICE POWER CANADIENS PAST MAPLE LEAFS IN GAME 1
Paul Byron scored the go-ahead goal with 7:16 remaining in regulation while shorthanded and Carey Price made 35 saves in his return to the lineup as Montreal took a 1-0 lead in its First Round series with Toronto. The highly-anticipated matchup saw Maple Leafs captain John Tavares leave the game following an open-ice collision.
* The Canadiens own an all-time series record of 62-11 when leading 1-0 in a best-of-seven (.849), the fourth-highest such win percentage among active NHL franchises behind the Wild (1.000; 2-0), Oilers (.875; 21-3) and Ducks (.867; 13-2). Montreal’s total includes a 6-3 mark in best-of-seven series versus Toronto (.667).
* Byron, who beat Jack Campbell on a breakaway while falling to the ice, became the first Canadiens player to score a shorthanded goal in a postseason contest against the Maple Leafs since Jimmy Roberts over 55 years ago.
PANTHERS PREVAIL IN OT AFTER SWAPPING MULTI-GOAL LEADS WITH LIGHTNING
Gustav Forsling (1-1—2) pulled the Panthers even with 3:07 remaining in regulation and Ryan Lomberg scored at 5:56 of overtime as Florida rallied past Tampa Bay to cut its series deficit to 2-1.
* Lomberg, who scored the first playoff goal of his NHL career, became the third player in franchise history with an overtime winner in the postseason, following Dave Lowry (Game 4 of 1996 CSF) and Mike Hough (Game 5 of 1996 CSF).
* The Panthers raced to a 2-0 lead before falling behind 5-3 after allowing five second-period goals. Patric Hornqvist (1-1—2), Forsling and Lomberg then accounted for Florida’s three unanswered tallies as it rallied from a multi-goal, third-period deficit to win a playoff game for the first time in franchise history.
* The Panthers’ first playoff overtime win in 25 years ended an 0-8 stretch in overtime games during the postseason, which was tied for the longest such losing streak in League history (PHI: 1996–2000; CGY: 1991–2004; PIT: 2013–2016).
LETANG, PENGUINS WITHSTAND ISLANDERS RALLY TO WIN GAME 3
After the Islanders erased 3-1 and 4-3 deficits in the third period, Kris Letang (1-2—3) collected his third point of the night on Brandon Tanev’s go-ahead goal with 3:36 remaining in regulation to help the Penguins take a 2-1 series lead.
* The Penguins, who also opened the scoring in Game 3, won a Stanley Cup Playoffs contest after surrendering at least three game-tying goals for the fourth time in franchise history. The others: Game 2 of the 2009 Conference Finals (vs. CAR), Game 4 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Final (at CHI) and Game 3 of the 1991 Division Semifinals (at NJD).
* Thursday’s performance marked Letang’s fifth career postseason game with three or more points, passing Larry Murphy (4) for the most by a Penguins defenseman in franchise history.
STONE HELPS GOLDEN KNIGHTS ERASE MULTI-GOAL DEFICT TO TAKE SERIES LEAD
Mark Stone (2-0—2) scored two of Vegas’ five unanswered goals to help the Golden Knights rally from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Wild in Game 3 of their First Round series. Vegas holds an all-time series record of 3-1 when leading 2-1 in a best-of-seven series.
* Thursday’s contest marked the fourth time the Golden Knights have erased a multi-goal deficit to win a playoff game, with the previous three instances coming during the 2020 postseason (SCQ vs. DAL, SCQ at STL & Game 5 of R1 vs. CHI).
* Since joining the Golden Knights in 2018-19, Stone has collected 15-17—32 in 30 postseason contests with the franchise. His 32 points over that span ranks within the top 10 among all players and he stands as one of six skaters with at least 15 goals since the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
QUICK CLICKS
CAROLINA, COLORADO EYE 3-0 SERIES LEADS ON FRIDAY
Two of the top three teams from the regular season could find themselves within one victory of the Second Round after tonight’s action as the Hurricanes and Avalanche each hit the road with 2-0 series leads. It has been 15 years since the Avalanche have taken a 3-0 series lead in a best-of-seven (2006 CQF vs. DAL) – something they’ve done four times in franchise history (all since relocating) – while the Hurricanes did so just two years ago, one of two instances for the club (2019 R2 vs. NYI & 2006 CSF vs. NJD).
DOES EXTRA TIME AWAIT IN GAME 4 BETWEEN THE BRUINS AND CAPITALS?
The Bruins will also look to move within one victory of the Second Round when they host the Capitals for Game 4. They can become the third set of clubs in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to play four consecutive overtime games in a series – the only two instances to date happened to come from the start of the series (1951 Stanley Cup Final: TOR vs. MTL; 2012 Conference Quarterfinals: PHX vs. CHI).
* Since 2011, when Boston played five OT games along its path to the Stanley Cup, the Capitals (36; 17-18-1) and Bruins (34; 18-16) rank first and second, respectively, in playoff overtime games played. Their tallies in that span are more than eight active franchises have played in their histories (TBL: 33, ARI: 21, MIN: 20, NSH: 18: CBJ: 13; FLA: 11; VGK: 10; WPG: 3).
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