Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 12: Panthers move on to the second round with OT win, two more Game 7s on the menu this weekend

Scott Maxwell
Scott Maxwell
Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 12: Panthers move on to the second round with OT win, two more Game 7s on the menu this weekend
Credit: © Geoff Burke

Three more teams had a chance to advance to the second round, but only one team prevailed.

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

Rangers make another 2-0 comeback to send series to Game 7

The New York Rangers seemed to be in shambles four games into this series, down 3-1. Heck, they seemed to be in shambles early on in Games 5 down 2-0 and once again in Game 6, they found themselves down 2-0.

Jeff Carter and Bryan Rust scored in quick succession in the first period, just 1:36 apart, to take that 2-0 lead, and with the home ice advantage that’s favoured them well in this series, it seemed like they might finally close the series. But much like Game 5, the Rangers overcame that 2-0 deficit again.

The Rangers would score two quick goals as well to tie it in the second, both coming from Mika Zibanejad in 1:16. The Rangers would then add to the lead later in the second with a goal from Chris Kreider, although a lot of the credit on this one goes to the amazing pass from Igor Shesterkin.

Evgeni Malkin would calm things down just a few minutes later with a goal of his own to tie the game before the end of the second. We got an exciting third period of hockey with some even play from both teams, but just when it seemed like it was going to go to overtime, Kreider would score on a fluky blast to get his second of the night to win the game with just 1:28 left. Zibanejad and Adam Fox would both get four points in the game as the Rangers force Game 7 on home ice.

Verhaeghe’s OT winner sends Panthers to the second round for the first time since 1996

Had the Florida Panthers lost this series, they would have tied the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes franchise for the longest playoff series win drought in NHL history at 25 seasons, so they certainly wanted to close things out in Game 6. The Washington Capitals didn’t make it easy, just like they have all series, but the Panthers managed to pull out with a win and move on. For more on ending the playoff drought, we have you covered here.

The scoring didn’t get underway until the second period, but it wasn’t your usual suspects that would open the scoring for both teams. Nic Dowd would score the first goal of the game for the Capitals, while Ryan Lomberg would respond with the Panthers first goal, both of them scoring their first of the playoffs.

It was the third period that saw the game get really crazy. Nicklas Backstrom would score 1:37 into the period to give the Caps the lead, and once again scare the Panthers in this series. But the Comeback Cats would respond with two goals of their own, with Claude Giroux tying the game and Aleksander Barkov scoring the go-ahead goal.

It seemed like that would be enough, but the Caps had a little bit of magic left in them, with T.J. Oshie scoring with 1:03 left in the game to tie it and send it to overtime. But perhaps the more interesting part about this goal was the overhead view, which has a severe lack of Sergei Bobrovsky at the moment that it’s actually scored.

But, as I said, the Caps only had a little bit more magic left in them, as who else but Carter Verhaeghe would get the overtime winner just 2:46 to get his sixth goal and 12th point of the series, as well as his second OT winner of the series. The win gives the Panthers the series win, and they move on to face the winner of Game 7 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Oettinger gives Flames troubles again as Stars force Game 7

If you didn’t know who Jake Oettinger was going into this postseason, you definitely do now, especially if you’re a Calgary Flames fan. The Dallas Stars goaltender has been lights out this series, and Game 6 was no exception.

He particularly gave the Flames nightmares in the first period, as the Flames peppered him with 18 shots, and they couldn’t beat him once. They weren’t easy saves either, as the Flames finished the period with 2.01 expected goals at all strengths. That performance would boost the Stars as well, as they would take a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Roope Hintz and Michael Raffl.

But as we’ve seen plenty of times in this first round, a two goal lead isn’t safe. Michael Stone and Mikael Backlund would score two goals within four minutes of each other to come back and tie the game, and it was a whole new hockey game.

It didn’t take too long for the Stars to respond, as late in the second, Miro Heiskanen would score to give Dallas a 3-2 lead, and that lead would hold in the third in a 4-2 win. But this time it wasn’t all on Oettinger. The Stars played some excellent defense in front of him, especially in the final minutes, and outshot the Flames in the third period, sending this series to a Game 7 as a result.

Keep scrolling for more content!
19+ | Please play responsibly! | Terms and Conditions apply