Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 7: Campbell saves Oilers, wild cards face elimination

Anthony Trudeau
Anthony Trudeau(atrud00)
Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 7: Campbell saves Oilers, wild cards face elimination
Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

In the hunt for the Stanley Cup, the first round nears its end for some teams while other series are only getting closer. On Sunday, the top seeds of the Eastern Conference looked the part in dominant victories. Later, in the West, controversy preceded another war between the Oilers and Kings. 

Hurricanes find their cutting edge against ill-disciplined Islanders

The energy the Isles took into Sunday after their 5-1 Game 3 eruption only worked against them; they shot themselves in the foot by trying to rough up the Metropolitan Division champion Hurricanes.

During the mayhem of a first frame that saw seven minor penalties called, Seth Jarvis put the Canes ahead after Ryan Pulock gave the visitors a 5-on-3 advantage by sidelining Jack Drury. Matt Martin began the second in the box when Martin Necas worsened the hosts’ predicament. The Hurricanes’ leading regular-season scorer chipped in with his first goal of the series after some pretty passing. From there, the usually conservative Islanders had to chase the game and played directly into the hands of Carolina’s ruthless checking. 

Thoughtless turnovers sent Sebastian Aho and Jarvis on breakaways and the contest out of reach at 4-0. The game was already over by the time Adam Pelech got New York on the board. A 5-2 final put the Islanders’ season on life support just two days after their electric playoff christening of UBS Arena. The Eastern Conference will have reason to worry if the Hurricanes, who have struggled to score all spring, are this clinical the rest of the way.

Hall, Bruins power through frustrated Florida Panthers to go up 3-1

Injuries to Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci would cripple most teams. Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery has continued to play former Hart Trophy-winner Taylor Hall and 1,000-game veteran Nick Foligno on the third line in their absence. Boston is that deep.

The Panthers have found that out the hard way in their first-round matchup with the President’s Trophy Winners. Though Florida stunned the Bruins in Game 2, they went into Sunday badly needing a home victory with Game 5 at TD Garden looming. Paul Maurice tried to change his group’s luck by swapping out streaking career-AHLer Alex Lyon for two-time Vezina-winner Sergei Bobrovsky in goal, but the Cats could find no answers for Boston on Sunday.

Brad Marchand poked home an early goal under Bobrovksy’s pads to beat the whistle and infuriate Maurice; despite tallies from Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, the Bruins never lost their lead thanks to 2-goal performances by Jake DeBrusk and Hall. Linus Ullmark stopped 41 shots for Boston before officials protected him from a brave but ill-advised decision to try to fight Tkachuk as the Bruins won 6-2. Montogmery will never admit it, but the Bruins return home focused on the conference semifinals.

Stars escape Minnesota with series tied thanks to unbeatable Oettinger, dodgy officiating

Marcus Foligno has to be the sickest man in America. His difficult Sunday may not live in history like Jackie Smith’s, but the Minnesota alternate captain’s woes were the main story of Game 4 as his Wild failed to take a massive step towards vanquishing the Dallas Stars. 

Minnesota seemed well on their way to a 3-1 series lead save for the fact that Jake Oettinger was unbeatable through two periods. The native Minnesotan stopped 2-on-1 tries from Ryan Hartman and Foligno and a breakaway showdown with Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov. 

In the second period, the focus shifted from Oettinger to the officials when Foligno drew an interference minor for an ostensibly clean hit. Tyler Seguin scored from a netfront position on the ensuing power play. After a deflating third period tally from Evgenii Dadonov, former Star John Klingberg picked a corner to breathe life into the Xcel Energy Center. Then, remarkably, a bloodied Foligno was whistled for tripping after Mason Marchment seemingly cross-checked him in the helmet. Foligno was indigent again, Seguin scored again, and Dallas won 3-2.

The stripes are never solely responsible for a result, of course. Kaprizov and, yes, Foligno both missed open nets that might have carried the day for the Wild. In the end, the Stars tied the series and will return home with the best sort of playoff win, one built on heroic goaltending and luck.

Campbell the hero of OT comeback as Oilers, Kings produce another instant classic

The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings added another chapter to one of the most memorable first-round series in recent history on Sunday night when it was the Oilers’ turn to mount a dramatic comeback.

Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Co. quickly found themselves on the wrong end of a disastrous opening 20 minutes. Gabriel Vilardi deposited a meaty rebound before veterans Anze Kopitar and Victor Arvidsson scored within 2 minutes of one another to send the hosting Kings into the first intermission up 3.

Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft went with Jack Campbell to start the second frame; the veteran’s introduction seemed to galvanize the Oilers, who came charging back. A power play blast from Evan Bouchard and a pair of snapshots from Draisaitl, the second with just 11 seconds remaining, gave the Oilers their own 3-0 period.

The teams headed to overtime for the third time this series after offsetting third-period goals, where Zach Hyman beat Joonas Korpisalo high to tie the series at two games apiece. Despite an abundance of offense, the star of this contest was Campbell, who saved 27 of 28 shots on the back of a lackluster season to send the Oilers home winners.

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