#NHLPeachy @NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition – April 19, 2023
* The Kraken became the first team in NHL history to win their first-ever playoff game against the reigning Stanley Cup champions and were one of two Western Conference Wild Card teams to take a 1-0 series lead Tuesday.
* Adam Fox and Chris Kreider skated atop the Rangers playoff record book as New York took Game 1 in the latest rendition of the “Hudson River Rivalry”.
* Nikita Kucherov continued to pile up the points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as he registered his 21st career three-point game and helped the Lightning achieve a franchise-first in their Game 1 victory.
* Six road teams have taken 1-0 series leads in the 2023 First Round, marking the third time at least six Game 1s in the opening round were won by the visiting team (also 6 in 1991 DSF & 7 in 2003 CQF).
KRAKEN DEFEAT REIGNING CHAMPIONS IN FIRST-EVER PLAYOFF GAME
Eeli Tolvanen scored the first of three Kraken goals 3:26 into the contest and Philipp Grubauer notched 34 saves as Seattle stunned the Avalanche in Game 1 of their First Round series. The Kraken became the first team in NHL history to win their first-ever playoff game against the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
* The Kraken became the seventh franchise in NHL history to win their first-ever Stanley Cup Playoffs game on the road. The others: Minnesota (2004 CQF at COL), San Jose (1994 CQF at DET), NY Islanders (1975 PRLM at NYR), St. Louis (1968 QF at PHI), Boston (1927 QF at CHI) and the Montreal Maroons (1926 NHLSF at PIR).
* Seattle also became the seventh franchise in the past 40 years to score three or more goals in its first-ever postseason outing. They joined Atlanta (3 in Game 1 of 2007 CQF), Minnesota (4 in Game 1 of 2003 CQF), Anaheim (4 in Game 1 of 1997 CQF), Florida (6 in Game 1 of 1996 CQF), Tampa Bay (3 in Game 1 of 1996 CQF) and San Jose (5 in Game 1 of 1994 CQF).
DID YOU KNOW?
The Victoria Cougars of the WCHL also defeated the NHL’s reigning champions in their first-ever Stanley Cup Playoffs game after skating to a 5-2 victory against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the 1925 Stanley Cup Final. The two teams met in the championship series after Victoria defeated the Saskatoon Sheiks in the WCHL Semifinal and the Calgary Tigers in the WCHL Final.
FOX JOINS COFFEY ON RARE NHL LIST, KREIDER ESTABLISHES FRANCHISE RECORD
Adam Fox (0-4—4) matched a franchise record with a four-assist outing and Chris Kreider (2-0—2) established a Rangers postseason record for goals to help New York take a 1-0 series lead in the “Hudson River Rivalry”.
* Kreider scored his 35th and 36th postseason goals to surpass Rod Gilbert (34) on the Rangers’ all-time Stanley Cup Playoffs list. Kreider also became one of seven active players (Sebastian Aho w/ CAR; tied, Filip Forsberg w/ NSH, Nikita Kucherov w/ TBL, Jonathan Marchessault w/ VGK, Alex Ovechkin w/ WSH & Mark Scheifele w/ WPG) to lead his current franchise in postseason goals and the only one to hold the title for an Original Six club.
* Tuesday marked the second time Fox has matched the franchise record for most assists by a defenseman in a postseason contest following Game 6 of the 2022 First Round; Dave Maloney first set the benchmark in Game 3 of the 1983 Division Semifinals. In doing so, Fox became the second blueliner in NHL history with multiple four-assist outings in his playoff career, joining Paul Coffey (4x; last: Game 2 of 1991 DF).
* Fox improved his career totals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to 5-22—27 (24 GP) and required the second-fewest games by a defenseman in NHL history to record 20 career postseason assists, trailing only Gary Suter (23 GP). Among all skaters in Rangers history, Fox also required the fewest contests to reach the mark, besting Brian Leetch (26 GP).
LIGHTNING SCORE EARLY AND OFTEN TO TOP TORONTO IN PLAYOFF OPENER
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (1:18) netted the fastest goal to begin a postseason in Lightning history and Nikita Kucherov (1-2—3) factored on three of Tampa Bay’s subsequent six goals to register his 21st career three-point game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and propel his club to a 1-0 lead in its First Round series.
* Meanwhile, Brayden Point (40-40—80 in 77 GP) scored twice to reach the 80-point mark in his postseason career. The only active players to reach the plateau in fewer games are Nathan MacKinnon (59 GP), Sidney Crosby (59 GP) and Evgeni Malkin (66 GP).
* Tampa Bay’s seven goals were the most in a playoff opener in franchise history (previous: 5 in 2021 R1 & 2018 R1). The Lightning are the fourth team in the past 34 years to score seven or more times in that scenario, joining the Penguins (7 in 2000 CQF), Blues (8 in 1998 CQF) and Flyers (7 in 1996 CQF).
WHEELER, HELLEBUYCK PILOT JETS TO WIN VERSUS TOP SEED IN WEST
Blake Wheeler (1-2—3) recorded a game-high three points and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 16 of 17 shots as Winnipeg potted five goals en route to a Game 1 victory against the Western Conference’s top seed.
* Wheeler matched the franchise record for points in a playoff game – a feat he has achieved three other times – and did so thanks to his eighth career postseason goal for the Jets. The only other player in Jets/Thrashers history with multiple three-point contests is Paul Stastny (2x).
* Hellebuyck, who earned his 17th career postseason victory, has tended the crease for every win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Jets/Thrashers. He is the only active goaltender to have the decision for every playoff win by an active NHL franchise.
HUGHES SCORES PENALTY-SHOT GOAL IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Skating in his postseason debut, Jack Hughes became the first player in Devils/Rockies/Scouts history to score a penalty-shot goal in the playoffs. This note and more are featured in the second 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.
LAST CALL FOR BRACKET CHALLENGE
There’s still time for fans to join in the fun in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge presented by GEICO by submitting brackets outlining their predictions for each playoff series online at NHL.com/Bracket or via the NHL App.
Brackets will remain open through Game 1 of each series in the First Round, giving fans the chance to change their predictions for each series based on Game 1 outcomes. Brackets will be locked before the puck drops for the first Game 2 of the First Round – Wednesday’s 7 p.m. ET New York Islanders @ Carolina Hurricanes.
QUICK CLICKS
WHAT WILL UNSUNG HEROES DO FOR AN ENCORE IN GAME 2?
All four teams that skated away with a Game 1 victory on Monday night received an integral contribution from at least one unsung hero, from standout goaltending performances to impressive postseason debuts with a new franchise to overtime goals.
* A pair of players making their first career postseason appearance helped the Wild survive a double-overtime thriller with a Game 1 victory. Filip Gustavsson (51 saves) got the call in the opener for Minnesota, with three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury serving as his backup, and set a franchise record for saves in a playoff game. Ten goaltenders have made 80 or more saves across their first two career playoff appearances (since 1955-56), with two topping 100: Igor Shesterkin (106 in 2 GP w/ NYR from 2020 to 2022) and Jose Theodore (101 in 2 GP w/ MTL in 1997). His teammate Sam Steel (1-1—2), who waited 262 regular-season games before making his playoff debut, scored the game-tying goal and assisted on the overtime winner.
* Tyler Bertuzzi, who was traded to Boston on March 2 after spending the better part of seven seasons with Detroit, had 0-2—2 in his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut Monday. Should he notch multiple points again Wednesday, Bertuzzi would become the sixth player to record two points in each of their first two career playoff games with the Bruins, following Tyler Seguin (Game 1 & Game 2 of 2011 CF), Michael Nylander (Game 1 & Game 2 of 2004 CQF), Adam Oates (Game 1 & Game 2 of 1992 DSF), Barry Pederson (Game 1 & Game 2 of 1982 DSF) and Jean Ratelle (Game 1 & Game 2 of 1976 QF).
* Stefan Noesen was signed by the Hurricanes as a free agent prior to 2021-22 and played 70-plus games in a regular-season for the first time since 2017-18 (13-14—27 in 72 GP), while tying for second on the team with seven power-play goals. In Game 1, Noesen scored the game winner with the man advantage, the second Carolina power-play goal of the contest. It marked the first time in 21 outings dating back to the regular season that the Hurricanes scored multiple power-play goals in one game (4 PPG on March 5 vs. TBL).
* Alex Iafallo, who was signed by Los Angeles as an undrafted free agent exactly five years ago yesterday (April 18, 2017), capped his team’s multi-goal comeback by playing overtime hero in Game 1. Iafallo is no stranger to big moments after reaching the NCAA National Championship with the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2016-17.
