More from PHT PHT POWER RANKINGS | THE BUZZER

Blue Jackets on verge of sweeping Lightning after Game 3 win

By Sean LeahyApr 14, 2019, 9:43 PM EDT
17 Comments

The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the verge of making franchise history following their 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 Sunday night.

A win on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; CNBC) would not only mean a shocking sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy winning Lightning, but also give the Blue Jackets their first ever Stanley Cup playoff series victory.

Remember when the Lightning jumped out to a 3-0 lead 17:50 into Game 1? No one saw this coming.

[2019 NBC STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS HUB]

Playing in front of an energetic Nationwide Arena crowd, the Blue Jackets continued their puck possession dominance and again piled on after scoring. Matt Duchene, who now has five points in the series, opened the scoring 1:44 into the second period.

Columbus built on that lead 6:41 later when Oliver Bjorkstrand made it 2-0 on the power play, which is now 4-for-8 in the series. The goal left the Lightning stunned.

Ondrej Palat gave Tampa a fighting chance with an early third period goal, but even as they continually tried to test Sergei Bobrovsky, they couldn’t solve the Blue Jackets’ netminder, who ended the night with 30 saves.

“I thought [Bobrovsky] came up really big in those 10-12 minutes when they really turned it on,” said Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella.

Already without Nikita Kucherov (suspension) and Victor Hedman (injury), the Lightning still had enough weapons to mount a comeback in the series starting with Game 3, but the suffocating play of the Blue Jackets kept Tampa’s stars quiet. Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos have yet to record a point while combining for 12 total shots on net.

Out of 32 Presidents’ Trophy winners, only eight have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. Zero have been swept in Round 1. The Lightning has no margin for error remaining.

The Blue Jackets will go for the sweep Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET on CNBC

————

Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.

The Playoff Buzzer: Stone, Stastny combine for perfect 10; Connor helps inspire Jets rout

By Scott BilleckApr 15, 2019, 1:24 AM EDT
Leave a comment
  • Islanders neuter Crosby again, seize 3-0 series lead against struggling Penguins
  • Columbus has Tampa Bay by the throat after another convincing win to take 3-0 series lead
  • Winnipeg turns on the jets, scores six in statement win to claw back into series vs. St. Louis
  • Vegas dominates Martin Jones once again to take 2-1 series lead

New York Islanders 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (NYI leads series 3-0)

The Penguins have no answers and the Islanders know it, and they now have a foot in the second round because of that knowledge. New York allowed the Penguins to lead the game for 28 seconds before Jordan Eberle tied the game. From there, the Islanders led 62 seconds later and never looked back. Sidney Crosby doesn’t have a point in the series, which is all you need to know about how Barry Trotz has enabled his players to neutralize one of the best in the game.

Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 1 (CBJ leads series 3-0)

There would be no overtime posts this time around. No overtime losses, either. Instead, the Blue Jackets put their foot on the throats of the Tampa Bay Lightning and one game away from pulling off what might be the greatest upset in the Stanley Cup Playoffs history. Cam Atkinson scored and added and assist while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 in the win. The Lightning didn’t have Nikita Kucherov due to suspension and Victor Hedman was a late scratch because of an injury. It probably wouldn’t have mattered.

Winnipeg Jets 6, St. Louis Blues 3 (STL leads series 2-1)

Winnipeg came into St. Louis reeling after two losses at home but knowing they were right there with the Blues, despite the losses. And when the Jets finally solved Binnington in the second period, the Red Sea parted and the unbeatable rookie sensation appeared as a mere mortal for Jets shooters who took advantage. The Jets still have a big hill to climb here, but if they’ve entered Binnington’s head, they might reverse their fortunes.

Vegas Golden Knights 6, San Jose Sharks 3 (VGK leads series 2-1)

They chased Martin Jones in Game 2 and then followed that up with dropping six more goals behind him in Game 3. Vegas’s line of Mark Stone, Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty combined for 12 points, with Stone and Stastny each producing five-point nights. Will San Jose make a change in net for Game 4? And what lies ahead for Joe Thornton after a terrible head shot on Tomas Nosek?

Three Stars

1. Mark Stone and Paul Stastny, Vegas Golden Knights

Too tough to separate the two. Stone had the hat trick along with two assists for a five-point night. Stastny had two goals and a trio of assists.

The Sharks just had no answer for the madness, and Martin Jones was back to playing his regular-season-style of hockey, which is to say he allows a lot of goals. Unless San Jose can stop this line and find a save, they’re done for.

2. Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets

The Jets needed a few of their players to start producing, and none more so, perhaps, than Connor. The 30-plus goal man hadn’t contributed much through the first two games of the series against St. Louis but erupted for two markers after getting a bump to the top line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. The line took off, combining for four points. Patrik Laine kept scoring, and Kevin Hayes also found a big goal for the Jets.

3. Matt Duchene, Columbus Blue Jackets

Coming off a four-point night in Game 2, Duchene kept up the good work, scoring 1:44 into the second period to help the Blue Jackets take the lead. Duchene was a force in the faceoff circle, too, going 9-for-11. That’s two goals and five points for Duchene, acquired at the trade deadline by the Jackets, in three games now. Columbus owns a 3-0 series lead on Tampa Bay.

Highlight of the night

Mark Stone, hat trick hero.

Lowlight of the night

This bone-headed play from Joe Thornton:

Factoids of the night

  • Vegas keeps making history, this time for scoring quickly. (NHL PR)
  • Patrik Laine is the first player in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history to score in the first three games of a playoff year. (NHL PR)
  • What Columbus is doing is to keep the Lightning from scoring is unreal. (NHL PR)
  • Lightning are just the fifth team with the best regular-season record to lose first three in the playoffs. (Sportsnet Stats)

Monday’s schedule

Game 3: Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins (Series tied 1-1), 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Live Stream)
Game 3: Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals (WSH leads 2-0), 7 p.m. ET, CNBC (Live Stream)
Game 3: Dallas Stars at Nashville Predators (Series tied 1-1), 9:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Live Stream)
Game 3: Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames (Series tied 1-1), 10 p.m. ET, CNBC (Live Stream)

Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck

Golden Knights’ Stone, Stastny dominate Sharks to take 2-1 series lead

By Scott BilleckApr 15, 2019, 12:58 AM EDT
Leave a comment

When you begin a Stanley Cup Playoff game with a goal in the first 16 seconds, it’s often a sign of good things to come.

When you score three, add two assists and have another player on your team also put together a five-point effort. Well, you have yourself one hell of an assured win.

Mark Stone and Paul Stastny feasted on Shark in a 6-3 win in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round series on Saturday, moving the Golden Knights to a 2-1 series lead in the process.

Stone entered the game with three goals in the first two games and left Game 3 with six after a ridiculous effort from his line alongside Stastny and Max Pacioretty. The line combined for a whopping 12 points in the game.

Stastny hadn’t scored coming into the game but had three assists and double that in the game, assisting on Pacioretty’s first-period goal (both via a pass and also via a perfect screen) and Stone’s second and third of the game. Stastny’s goals were his first an second of the series.

Pacioretty had a goal and an assist for good measure.

The Sharks showed life in the third, scoring two goals in 54 seconds to pull the game to 5-3. That’s as close as they’d get.

Martin Jones played like another goaltender altogether in San Jose’s Game 1 victory. Jones, who had a .896 save percentage during the regular season, put up and elite .923 outing to open the series.

In Game 2, he was pulled after allowed four goals on seven shots. On Sunday, he allowed six on 40 shots. Two disastrous outings, but both the Sharks’ No. 1 and the five in front of him.

[2019 NBC STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS HUB]

If you’re San Jose, you have to be thinking about putting Aaron Dell into the net (Dude, you’re getting a Dell…) But seriously, Jones hasn’t been the answer all season and something needs to change after such a demoralizing defeat.

The Sharks have no answer for Stastny’s line. And if they find one, then it will be at the cost of shutting down William Karlsson and Co. There are no easy fixes here, and Vegas looks very good once again.

San Jose, meanwhile, is probably going to be without Joe Thornton after this bone-headed hit by the elder statesman.

Frustrations boiled over there and later in the game when Ryan Reaves and Evander Kane engaged in a fight that featured few jabs and all haymakers.

Game 4 of this best-of-7 series goes Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. 

Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck

Sharks’ Thornton drills Golden Knights’ Nosek with nasty headshot

By Scott BilleckApr 14, 2019, 11:58 PM EDT
2 Comments

Joe Thornton has done a lot of good in his long National Hockey League career, but a headshot on Vegas Golden Knights forward Tomas Nosek was not his finest moment.

The puck was nowhere near Nosek when Thornton came from behind the Vegas net and uncorked his shoulder into Nosek’s skull, sending the latter to the ice holding his head with 3:06 remaining in the second period.

The Sharks were trailing 4-1 at this point. It will be interesting to see if the NHL’s Department of Player Safety deems this one as a message-sending moment from Thornton, much like they did to Nikita Kucherov when he was handed a one-game ban for boarding a couple days ago.

Thornton’s hit didn’t come near the end of the game, but the score was pretty lopsided and the Golden Knights had just scored a minute earlier, the hit was 100 percent predatory and it was massively late.

[2019 NBC STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS HUB]

There was nothing Nosek could have done to get out of the way of that. He had his head turned the other way after making a pass out of the zone. He only turned in time to take Thornton’s shoulder right to the face.

Jumbo Joe was only given a two-minute minor on the play for an illegal head check. You have to imagine there’s more coming Jumbo’s way.

Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck

Jets claw back in series vs. Blues with big Game 3 win

By Scott BilleckApr 14, 2019, 10:17 PM EDT
Leave a comment

When the Winnipeg Jets boarded their charter Air Canada charter flight to St. Louis on Saturday, they did so with some extra luggage.

A 0-2 deficit after losing two straight at Bell MTS Place weighed heavily on those on board. Third-period demons tagged along as extra passengers, filling the overhead compartments while dancing up and down the aisles next to Winnipeg’s traveling contingent. Despite two closely contested games, the Jets only had silver linings to show for their efforts.

The math for teams that drop the first two games of a best-of-7 series is such that 86 percent of them who have suffered those initial defeats end up seeing tee boxes rather than their names in the second round of the playoff bracket.

Teams that fall to 0-3? Well, only four have ever come back from that. It’s damn-near impossible.

Mission impossible won’t need an invoking after a 6-3 win in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round series against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. Winnipeg will still have to defy the odds, however.

[2019 NBC STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS HUB]

Third periods have been the bane of Winnipeg’s existence for the past month and a half. They ended the season with nine losses when leading after two periods and began the playoffs with their 10th loss in 83 games this year. They entered the third period of Game 2 tied but the game ended with a Blues goal and another third-period disaster.

And so came Game 3 with Winnipeg in a familiar spot: ahead on the scoreboard 3-1 after 40 minutes and with all sorts of doubt among the team’s fanbase.

An early power-play goal from Vladimir Tarasenko to begin the final frame seemed to indicate the game was charting a familiar course. And they nearly coughed up the lead entirely when Connor Hellebuyck — not the league’s best puck-handling goaltender — tried to gift the Blues the tying goal. But off the ensuing odd-man rush the other way, a puck caromed off the skate of Brandon Tanev and in, giving the Jets a much-needed answer.

Getting more shots on Jordan Binnington was going to be key if the Jets wanted to taste some success. Binnington, a rookie sensation, was sensational in the first period as he stymied the Jets, who were determined to figure out the young netminder. David Perron had eeked out a goal on the power play late in the frame and all of Winnipeg’s best efforts had gone for naught.

The Jets produced several calculated chances in the first, and Mark Scheifele missed on a clear-cut breakaway to start the second. It wasn’t until a floater from the point by Kevin Hayes, acquired by the Jets at the trade deadline, solved Binnington for the first time on the night later in the middle frame that seemed to ignite the turbines.

The series had been so tight that casual shots on either net had become few and far between, something Maurice said the Jets needed more of.

“Not for the point of getting more rubber at him to loosen him up, but more for what happens after we don’t shoot those,” Maurice said in Winnipeg on Saturday. “What you’re looking for is some chaos off that.”

Patrik Laine, who ended the season with one goal in his final 19 games, had rekindled his hot stick with a goal in each of the first two games. His patience and soft mitts made it three in three games to give the Jets a 2-1 lead. Having him feeling it as he has in the first three games is a significant boon for the Jets, who really needed him to turn it up.

Same with Kyle Connor, who had been invisible in the first two games but found the back of the net twice after moving up to the top line on Sunday.

There will be a Game 5 in Winnipeg next week. What remains to be seen is if the Jets will bring home a series with a clean slate and a best-of-3 scenario, or one where they’re on the ropes.

For that, you’ll have to tune in on Tuesday night (9:30 p.m. ET; CNBC) to find out.

Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck