Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 11: Blues defeat Wild, move on to face Avs in second round

Scott Maxwell
Scott Maxwell
Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 11: Blues defeat Wild, move on to face Avs in second round
Credit: © Jeff Le

Four teams facing elimination: who went home and who forced Game 7?

Missed anything? Here’s a recap of the night’s action.

Bruins win big to force Game 7

The Boston Bruins have played in their fair share of big games facing elimination. They’ve played enough that when Game 6 was held scoreless through the first, it didn’t phase them.

So when Brad Marchand opened the scoring in the second period, it felt like it was already over. The Hurricanes certainly didn’t make it easy on the Bruins, as the rise to the 4-1 lead came slowly but surely throughout the second and third period, but they made sure that Carolina never truly got into the game once they got that lead, and closed it out with a 5-2 victory.

Another Leafs comeback not enough as Tampa wins in OT

It had to be Game 7, right? There was no other way that the Toronto Maple Leafs were going to exorcise their playoff demons than to do it in that critical do-or-die game that they’ve found themselves in for sixth time in the past 10 years. And yet even their best game of the series wasn’t enough to do it in six. For more on this game, Scott Burnside has you covered.

Blues blow out Wild to advance to second round

After a couple big wins in Game 2 and 3, the Minnesota Wild just could not seem to get anything going for the rest of the series. And Game 6 seemed to be a pretty good summary of their playoff experience in 2022.

It seemed like they couldn’t get any bounces in the game, so that when they made a few mistakes, like letting Nick Leddy walk up the ice and score, or no one covering Tyler Bozak as he slid in to bury the rebound, it was hard to get it back.

Eventually, the Blues took a 4-0 lead late in the second period, and as much as you wanted to see some more magic from Kirill Kaprizov to make the comeback, it already seemed like that wouldn’t happen. Matt Dumba would get one back, but Colton Parayko would secure the 5-1 win with an empty net goal, and the Blues will move on to the second round to face the Colorado Avalanche.

Late Barrie goal staves off Kings comeback as Oilers take Game 6

Jay Woodcroft went all in for Game 6 after the Oilers’ back-to-back losses, putting Leon Draisaitl on the top line alongside Connor McDavid. It’s a risky move, considering how the issue for the Oilers has been their play without McDavid on the ice, but when your backs are against the wall, you have to go with the super weapon.

Low and behold, it worked, as McDavid opened the scoring with his third goal of the series to make it 1-0. Then, the rest of the team made good on Woodcroft’s plan, doing something you probably wouldn’t have seen on past Oilers teams, with the depth chipping in thanks to an Evander Kane goal to make it 2-0 in the second period.

The Kings didn’t make it easy, though. A Sean Durzi power play goal would cut the Oilers’ lead in half going into the second intermission, and Carl Grundstrom would score just 29 seconds into the third to tie it. Suddenly, the Oilers were fighting for their playoff lives again.

It’s in these moments that someone unsuspecting comes to the forefront to be the hero, and somehow we got a combination of that scenario, while still playing into the hands of Woodcroft’s big change. McDavid would carry the puck into the zone, send it to Draisaitl, who would then drop it back to Tyson Barrie, who would score the go-ahead goal with just over five minutes left. The Kings would pressure after that, but an empty net goal from Kane would seal the deal, and just like that, the Oilers head back home for Game 7.

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