Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 3: Canes make crazy comeback from down 3-0 to win Game 2, Hyman’s hat trick ends Oilers’ Game 1 struggles and more

Scott Maxwell
Scott Maxwell
Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 3: Canes make crazy comeback from down 3-0 to win Game 2, Hyman’s hat trick ends Oilers’ Game 1 struggles and more
Credit: © James Guillory

Monday’s playoff action gave us a crazy comeback, another close call for a comeback and a blowout, and somehow none of those games was the one between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs? Let’s dive into all the action from Day 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Matthews three-point night helps Leafs bounce back for 3-2 win to tie series

Game 1 was certainly one to forget for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as the Boston Bruins exploited every weakness and even some of the Leafs’ strengths to get the win. Toronto’s penalty kill struggled, their defense couldn’t keep up with the Bruins, and Boston managed to take advantage of the Leafs’ physicality to get chances and power plays. The Leafs needed to clean up their game if they wanted to tie this series, even with William Nylander out for a second game in a row.

Despite the success of Jeremy Swayman in Game 1, Jim Montgomery wouldn’t be swayed by hockey traditions and continued the team’s tandem system they’ve been using all season and gave the start to Linus Ullmark. For the first period, that seemed to work, as the two teams continued to play like they did in Game 1.

After a careless penalty from Jake McCabe gave the Bruins a power play, they kicked off the scoring with a goal on the man advantage from Morgan Geekie midway through the frame. Max Domi tied it for the Leafs just 14 seconds later, but the Bruins got the last laugh in the first, as some terrible zone coverage left David Pastrnak wide open for the 2-1 goal with eight seconds left.

That already looked like it would be the killer for the Leafs in the game, even with 40 minutes remaining. They were staring down a 2-0 deficit going home, and their stars were struggling to score.

But even though Auston Matthews already had an assist on Max Domi’s goal, he wasn’t done yet. After another strong possession period in the second, the Leafs finally made Boston pay on the power play when Matthews’ admittedly weak pass went through a few players to get on the stick of John Tavares, who sniped it home to tie the game late in the second. Then with about eight minutes left in the game, Domi set up Matthews on a breakaway, and the Leafs’ center corralled the puck from above his head to spring ahead and deke past Ullmark for the 3-2 lead. The Bruins pressed for the tying goal, but the Leafs would hang on to take Game 2.

Matthews led the way in scoring with the game-winning goal and three points while Ilya Samsonov bounced back and stopped 27 of 29 for the win. On top of that, the Leafs had the advantage in 5v5 score-adjusted expected goals again by margin of 2.22-1.83, and this time it actually felt like it for them.

Two goals in nine seconds helps Canes rally from down 3-0 to take 2-0 series lead

The New York Islanders had to be disappointed with the result of Game 1. The only way they were going to sneak away with wins against this Carolina Hurricanes team was if they kept the games close and low-scoring. That was exactly what happened in the first game, but it still ended up in Carolina’s favour. And yet, they’ll be even more disappointed with Game 2.

It was a rough start for the Isles, as the Canes had them relentlessly hemmed in their own zone, and it wouldn’t be until after the 13-minute mark where New York finally got their first shot on net. That proved to not be an issue for them, as Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat would both score late in the period to give New York a 2-0 lead. Anders Lee scored again a few minutes into the third, and it was looking like a good response game for the Isles.

But there’s a reason why this Canes team feels tougher to stop than their past attempts, and that’s because with a healthy Andrei Svechnikov, an emerging Seth Jarvis and a recently-added Jake Guentzel, this year’s iteration had more firepower. And they needed all of it in Game 2.

Teuvo Teravainen’s power play marker made it a game again midway through the second, but things were still quiet offensively for the Canes for most of the game. To make matters worse, Brett Pesce suffered an injury and wasn’t returning to the game either.

It wasn’t until midway through the third period when Seth Jarvis was able to make it a one-goal game, and the pressure was on. The Canes entered the final three minutes still down one, and I don’t think anyone could have predicted what would happen next. Svechnikov set up Sebastian Aho in front to tie it, but only nine seconds later, Jordan Martinook buried the go-ahead goal.

Jake Guentzel secured the win with the empty net goal, and the Canes would somehow come out of the game with a win after being down 3-0. In fact, it was the first time since Game 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals that Carolina had made a three-goal comeback in a playoff game, and it was the first time ever in the Islanders’ history that they blew a three-goal lead. Seth Jarvis had three points for the Canes in the comeback win, and the team dominated the Isles in 5v5 SA xGs by a margin of 2.99-0.95.

Golden Knights hold off Stars for 4-3 win in Game 1

This matchup between the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights is a lot closer than its seeding makes it seem, especially if Vegas was fully healthy. Luckily for them, Mark Stone was making his miraculous return to the lineup after missing 26 games with a lacerated spleen, just in time for Game 1. What a coincidence!

That return proved to be super important for Vegas, as Stone opened the scoring just 1:23 into the first period on a power play goal. The Stars thought they had tied it at the seven-minute mark with a goal from Ryan Suter, but unfortunately for them, the play was offside and waved off.

To make matters worse, the Golden Knights got another goal only a minute later with Jonathan Marchessault scoring to make it 2-0. Jamie Benn kicked off a flurry of goals in the final four minutes with the 2-1 goal, with Tomas Hertl’s power play tally and Jason Robertson’s snipe giving the game a 3-2 score going into the second intermission. Brayden McNabb scored a minute into the second to make it 4-2, and we thought we were in for another high-scoring matchup in the Central Division.

But, it got much tamer after that. The Golden Knights focused on keeping their lead intact, and while Mason Marchment’s 4-3 goal midway through the third generated some momentum for the Stars, they couldn’t get the tying goal, and Vegas would be the first road team to win Game 1 in the first round.

Amidst all the offense, only Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin had two points in the game, both with two assists. And if you needed any sign that this will be a close series, the Stars only just won the 5v5 SA xG battle by 1.54-1.48. We’re in for a good one here, folks.

Hyman’s hat trick helps Oilers to 7-4 win over Kings

The past two times the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings had met in the playoffs, the Kings had made it a series by coming out and shocking Edmonton in Game 1. L.A. fought off comebacks to win 4-3 in 2022 and last season saw them come back in the third to win in overtime. It was vital for them to do the same this year against an Oilers team that is 1-8 in Game 1s in the Connor McDavid era, even if they seem impossible to beat this season.

Early on, it looked like Edmonton had learned their lesson, as they came flying out of the gate. Zach Hyman opened the scoring just seven minutes into the game, and Adam Henrique added to the lead only a few minutes later to make it 2-0 in the first. Edmonton carried that momentum into the second, with Hyman getting his second of the night five minutes in, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring midway through the frame. Suddenly, their Game 1 concerns looked to be in the rearview mirror with a 4-0 lead.

But the Kings weren’t going to go away quietly. Mikey Anderson got them on the board only a couple minutes later, and only 1:39 after that, Trevor Lewis made it 4-2! Or at least they thought he did, but it was then reviewed to see if it hit off of his hand. It did, and it was deemed no goal. That was all the more important for Edmonton, as Adrian Kempe’s goal later in the period actually made it 4-2, and that would have been a one-goal game if Lewis’ goal had counted.

Just when we thought we were getting a game, the Kings got into some penalty troubles early in the third and that gave the Oilers just what they needed to give them some breathing room again. Leon Draisaitl got his first of the playoffs to make it 5-2, Hyman added to that lead to complete the hat trick, and McDavid had the primary assist on both to give him five apples on the evening. It was mostly smooth-sailing to the finish line after that, as even thought the Kings made some noise in the final minutes with goals from Pierre-Luc Dubois and Trevor Moore, it was too little, too late. Warren Foegele put the nail in the coffin with the empty net goal and Edmonton would win 7-4.

The Oilers got big nights from some of their big names, as beyond Hyman’s hat trick and McDavid’s five-assist night, defenseman Evan Bouchard also had quite the performance with four assists himself. Even with three of their goals coming from their power play, they also played very well at even strength with a 3.35-2.62 edge in 5v5 SA xG.

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