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Maple Leafs take Game 1 over Bruins on the road

By Ryan DadounApr 11, 2019, 9:55 PM EDT
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The Maple Leafs limped into the playoffs with a 4-7-3 record to round out the season and rob any chance of Game 1 of their long anticipated series against Boston being played in Toronto. In the end though, it didn’t matter. After working through some late season injuries, the Maple Leafs had all hands on deck and combined they delivered a 4-1 victory over Boston.

While this game certainly wasn’t a blowout by any stretch of the imagination, it was close to the ideal scenario for the Maple Leafs. Most importantly, goaltender Frederik Andersen was great. There were some concerns about fatigue with him late in the season and he didn’t look good in the 2018 series against Boston, but this game would have been very different if he was just okay.

The only time Andersen was beat Thursday night was on a superb power-play goal from Brad Marchand to Patrice Bergeron. That marker gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead and had the potential to set the tone, but Mitchell Marner changed the story.

Marner evened the contest before the first period ended and provided the turning point when he got on a breakaway while the Maple Leafs were shorthanded. He drew a penalty shot that led to Toronto’s game-winning goal.

That narrow 2-1 edge stuck for most of the second period until William Nylander provided Toronto with some much needed breathing room, thanks in part to a laser pass from Nazem Kadri.

Boston ended up out shooting Toronto 21-14 in the second period alone, but the Maple Leafs scored the only two goals in that frame. That 3-1 lead would stick until John Tavares finished Boston off with an empty netter.

The Maple Leafs now have something they never possessed in the 2018 series against the Bruins: The lead. In 2018, the Bruins won the first two games in Boston and while Toronto battled back to force a Game 7, the Maple Leafs never possessed the series lead. Now we’ll see if Toronto can build on its early success or if Boston will come right back in Game 2. Certainly, Boston is too good of a team to be dismissed after just one loss.

Maple Leafs-Bruins Game 2 from TD Garden will be Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC

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Ryan Dadoun is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @RyanDadoun.

The Playoff Buzzer: Dominant Game 1 efforts for Backstrom, Marner, and Smith

By Adam GretzApr 12, 2019, 1:49 AM EDT
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  • Mitch Marner did something that only a handful of players in NHL history have done in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ big Game 1 over the Boston Bruins
  • The Carolina Hurricanes put up a great fight against the defending Stanley Cup champions but had just one flaw they have to correct
  • An unlikely hero emerged for the Calgary Flames
  • Capitals defenseman John Carlson tied an NHL postseason record
  • Alex Ovechkin continued to climb another goal-scoring leaderboard

Maple Leafs 4, Bruins 1 (Maple Leafs  lead series 1-0)

The Maple Leafs are already off to a better start in their playoff rematch against the Boston Bruins, jumping out to an early 1-0 series lead thanks to a huge night from Mitch Marner and additional goals from William Nylander and John Tavares. They need their stars to shine, and on Thursday night they did.

Capitals 4, Hurricanes 2 (Capitals lead series 1-0)

The Hurricanes may have been the better team at even-strength and showed they have a chance in this series, but the Capitals’ power play (and penalty kill) was the difference as the defending Stanley Cup champions stole Game 1 away. If the Hurricanes can repeat this effort in Game 2 they stand a great chance to even the series, but they must find an answer for the Capitals’ power play to allow that to happen.

Flames 4, Avalanche 0 (Flames leads series 1-0)

The Calgary Flames’ superstars had a fairly quiet night and they still rolled to a 4-0 shutout win over the Colorado Avalanche. Mike Smith was outstanding in net and the Flames’ defense did a great job shutting down the Avalanche’s big-three, including Mikko Rantanen in his return to the lineup.

[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

Three Stars

1. Mike Smith, Calgary Flames. All season, and especially leading up to the playoffs, the big question for the Calgary Flames was whether or not they had the goaltending to go on a deep Stanley Cup run. David Rittich is unproven and regressed down the stretch, while Smith had, for the most part, a brutal year. Playing in his first playoff game in seven years, Smith was the best player on the ice and for one night silenced the doubters.

2. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals. Backstrom was a beast for the Capitals in Game 1, scoring a pair of first period goals and then coming up with two huge blocked shots late in the third period to help the Capitals hold off a late Hurricanes rally. He is one of the best all-around centers in the NHL and showed why on Thursday.

3. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs. Entering play on Thursday Marner had scored just three goals in his first 13 career playoff games. He scored two in the Maple Leafs’ Game 1 win and proved to be the team’s most dangerous player as they jumped out to an early series lead over the Bruins.

Highlights of the night

Not long after tying the game against the Bruins, Marner gave the Maple Leafs with the lead with what would prove to be the game-winning goal on a penalty shot and what a move it was! According to the NHL’s Public Relations department, this was just the fifth shorthanded penalty shot goal in NHL playoff history.

While Mike Smith was stopping everything, Andrew Mangiapane got the Flames on the board with this beautiful goal against Philipp Grubauer.

Factoids of the Night

John Carlson’s three first period assists tied an NHL postseason record for most assists in a period. [NHL PR]

Alex Ovechkin moved into 27th place on the NHL’s all-time postseason goal-scoring list [NHL PR]

Friday’s schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning, Game 2 (CBJ leads 1-0), 7 p.m. ET, CNBC (Live Stream)
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders, Game 2 (NYI leads 1-0), 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Live Stream)
St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets, Game 2 (StL leads 1-0), 9:30 p.m. ET, CNBC (Live Stream)
Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks, Game 2 (SJ leads 1-0), 10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Live Stream)

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

Mike Smith unlikely hero as Flames shutout Avalanche in Game 1

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By Ryan DadounApr 12, 2019, 12:59 AM EDT
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Mike Smith certainly didn’t start this season on a positive note and while he did improve as the campaign went on, goaltending was still a big question mark for Calgary going into the series. Few would have predicted that Smith would end up being the standout in this battle between two high-powered offenses, but that was the case in the Flames’ 4-0 victory over the Avalanche.

Philipp Grubauer, who also had a poor start to the season before bouncing back, did hold up for most of the game. He couldn’t save the Avalanche Thursday night, but he kept them in this one despite the lopsided final score. It wasn’t until late in the second period that the Flames first solved him.

Continuing with the theme of Game 1 defying expectations, rather than one of the Flames’ many offensive stars netting the goal, it was Andrew Mangiapane, who has just eight career goals and was making his postseason debut. For a moment, he looked like an elite forward, weaving through the Avalanche and outmaneuvering Grubauer before finishing him with a backhand.

Late in the second period, Matthew Tkachuk capitalized on a power-play opportunity to score his first career playoff goal. That 2-0 edge would hold for most of what remained until the floodgates opened late. Mikael Backlund added another power-play goal at 17:01 of the third period then just 14 seconds later, Tkachuk scored again to make it 4-0.

Colorado was the clear underdog going into this series, so from that perspective this outcome wasn’t surprising even if how we got to it did deviate from the script. At the same time, the Avalanche couldn’t be discounted and still shouldn’t be. Any team headlined by Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen has the potential to be very dangerous and the Flames know full well that their work is far from done.

Avalanche-Flames Game 2 from Scotiabank Saddledome will be Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

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Ryan Dadoun is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @RyanDadoun.

Capitals’ power play is difference in Game 1 win over Hurricanes

By Adam GretzApr 11, 2019, 10:29 PM EDT
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If you are a Carolina Hurricanes fan there was a lot to like about the team’s Game 1 performance against the Washington Capitals, even if it all ended with a 4-2 loss and a 1-0 series deficit.

For one, the Hurricanes didn’t look overwhelmed against the defending Stanley Cup champions and actually carried the play at even-strength for much of the night. They started fast, had their chances, and mostly limited what the Capitals were able to do. It was a solid performance that showed they belong. Prized rookie Andre Svechnikov also had an incredible playoff debut by scoring a pair of goals in the third period to cut what had been a 3-0 deficit to just a single goal before Lars Eller‘s empty-net goal put the game away.

Because of those developments there is reason to believe the Hurricanes can not only give the Capitals a serious fight in this series, but that they are also perfectly capable of winning it.

[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

If that is going to happen, though, the Hurricanes are going to have to solve the one area that failed them on Thursday, and that of course is stopping the Capitals’ lethal power play. And also taking advantage of the opportunities they get.

The Capitals scored two power play goals in the first period — one from Nicklas Backstrom, another from Alex Ovechkin — to help jump out to a three-goal lead that was simply too much of a deficit for the Hurricanes to overcome.

While the Capitals power play converted on two of its four chances, the Hurricanes went 0-for-3 on their opportunities, including two chances in the final eight minutes when they had an opportunity to tie the game.

Simply put, the special teams were the difference in the game.

This is going to be the big issue for the Hurricanes in this series.

They can play a style that will give the Capitals issues. Their speed is an asset, they control the puck, and they will limit what the Capitals can do offensively at even-strength.

The problem is that for as good as the Hurricanes have been in the second half, and for as talented as their young roster is, the Capitals still have Hall of Fame players that can be difference-makers.

They may not get a lot of opportunities in this matchup, but they do not really need a lot of opportunities because of their skill.

We saw that on display on Thursday as Backstrom scored a pair of goals, Ovechkin scored yet another postseason power play goal, and John Carlson tallied three assists.

The Capitals still have the superstars in this series, and they shined when they needed to.

Hurricanes-Capitals Game 2 will be Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

Marner’s shorthanded penalty shot goal puts Leafs ahead vs. Bruins in Game 1

By Ryan DadounApr 11, 2019, 8:42 PM EDT
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Boston got out to a 1-0 lead over Toronto when Brad Marchand found Patrice Bergeron on a power-play goal midway through the first period, so when the Maple Leafs took another penalty in the second, you could just feel the dread emanating from Toronto fans. Things would turn out very differently this time though.

Mitchell Marner, who already evened the score at 1-1 late in the first period, got on a shorthanded breakaway that drew a penalty shot. With the rest of the Bruins now forced to watch, Marner outmaneuvered Tuukka Rask to score the shorthanded goal and give the Maple Leafs a 2-1 edge.

Toronto succeeded in killing the rest of the penalty after that. Toronto went on to earn a 4-1 victory in Game 1, with Marner’s goal going down as the turning point.

This also pads out Marner’s already impressive resume. He had two goals and nine points in seven games in last year’s series with Boston and was the Maple Leafs’ leading scorer in the regular season with 94 points.

Re-signing him off his entry-level contract will be the Maple Leafs’ biggest task this summer. First though, they have more immediate concerns.

Maple Leafs-Bruins Game 2 from TD Garden will be Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC

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Ryan Dadoun is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @RyanDadoun.