Radulov, Canadiens Even Series in OT
The Montreal Canadiens are in the process of avenging a collapsing season last year, but the New York Rangers are not going to make it easy on them. The Habs evened the series on Friday night in overtime, as Alexander Radulov scored with 1:26 left to give Montreal the 4-3 win. Thomas Plekanec also played hero by tying the game with 18 seconds left in regulation, sending the game into the extra period. Plekanec scored with a man-advantage after winning the faceoff, as Carey Price had headed to the bench for an extra attacker. The thrilling goal was the latest tying goal in Canadiens' postseason history, beating out Jaques Lemaire's goal with 24 seconds remaining in 1975. Meanwhile, Radulov's game-winner late in overtime was his third point of the night. Jeff Petry and Paul Byron also scored for the Canadiens, who outscored the Rangers 45-30 in regulation, and 58-38 overall. Michael Grabner, Matz Zuccarello, and Rick Nash scored in a losing effort for New York, who will host Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.
McDavid's First Playoff Goal Fuels Oilers' Game-2 Win
The Edmonton Oilers are a young team making their playoff return against a San Jose Sharks team that is making a hobby out of spring play. Although, the Oilers were able to overcome a Game-1 defeat on Friday night, evening the series at one apiece with a 2-0 shutout of the Sharks. Connor McDavid netted his first career postseason goal, while Zack Kassian also found the back of the net in the win. Both of the Oilers' goal were shorthanded, as San Jose struggled to find any production against Cam Talbot, who stopped all 16 shots against him. Martin Jones had a lot more traffic in front of him for the Sharks, as he made 34 saves in defeat. Coming into the game the Sharks had over 1,000 playoff contests in their franchise's history, compared to the Oilers' 342. Edmonton had missed out on the playoffs the past 10 seasons, but look to rally around their first postseason win since 2006 heading into Game 3 in San Jose on Sunday.
Blues, Penguins Take 2-0 Series Leads
Two teams were able to cruise to 2-0 series leads on Friday night, one at home and one on the road. First, the Blues impressed on the road yet again, as Jaden Schwartz' goal with 2:27 left in regulation gave them a 2-1 win over the Wild in Minnesota. St. Louis won Game 1 in overtime on the game-winner from Joel Edmundson, who also scored the first goal on Friday night. Jake Allen made 23 saves, helping the Blues take a dominant series lead back home for Sunday's Game 3. Meanwhile, the Penguins continued to cruise on their home ice, as both Sidney Crosby and Evegeni Malkin scored in a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jake Guentzel netted his first career postseason goal, while Crosby added two assists, helping the Penguins cruise to a 2-0 series lead. Patric Hornqvist added an empty-net goal late, all supporting another strong effort from Marc-Andre Fleury, who had 39 saves in relief of the injured Matt Murray. Crosby's early tally was the 50th of his playoff career, and he will lead his Penguins into Columbus for Game 3 on Sunday night.
The Montreal Canadiens are in the process of avenging a collapsing season last year, but the New York Rangers are not going to make it easy on them. The Habs evened the series on Friday night in overtime, as Alexander Radulov scored with 1:26 left to give Montreal the 4-3 win. Thomas Plekanec also played hero by tying the game with 18 seconds left in regulation, sending the game into the extra period. Plekanec scored with a man-advantage after winning the faceoff, as Carey Price had headed to the bench for an extra attacker. The thrilling goal was the latest tying goal in Canadiens' postseason history, beating out Jaques Lemaire's goal with 24 seconds remaining in 1975. Meanwhile, Radulov's game-winner late in overtime was his third point of the night. Jeff Petry and Paul Byron also scored for the Canadiens, who outscored the Rangers 45-30 in regulation, and 58-38 overall. Michael Grabner, Matz Zuccarello, and Rick Nash scored in a losing effort for New York, who will host Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.
McDavid's First Playoff Goal Fuels Oilers' Game-2 Win
The Edmonton Oilers are a young team making their playoff return against a San Jose Sharks team that is making a hobby out of spring play. Although, the Oilers were able to overcome a Game-1 defeat on Friday night, evening the series at one apiece with a 2-0 shutout of the Sharks. Connor McDavid netted his first career postseason goal, while Zack Kassian also found the back of the net in the win. Both of the Oilers' goal were shorthanded, as San Jose struggled to find any production against Cam Talbot, who stopped all 16 shots against him. Martin Jones had a lot more traffic in front of him for the Sharks, as he made 34 saves in defeat. Coming into the game the Sharks had over 1,000 playoff contests in their franchise's history, compared to the Oilers' 342. Edmonton had missed out on the playoffs the past 10 seasons, but look to rally around their first postseason win since 2006 heading into Game 3 in San Jose on Sunday.
Blues, Penguins Take 2-0 Series Leads
Two teams were able to cruise to 2-0 series leads on Friday night, one at home and one on the road. First, the Blues impressed on the road yet again, as Jaden Schwartz' goal with 2:27 left in regulation gave them a 2-1 win over the Wild in Minnesota. St. Louis won Game 1 in overtime on the game-winner from Joel Edmundson, who also scored the first goal on Friday night. Jake Allen made 23 saves, helping the Blues take a dominant series lead back home for Sunday's Game 3. Meanwhile, the Penguins continued to cruise on their home ice, as both Sidney Crosby and Evegeni Malkin scored in a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jake Guentzel netted his first career postseason goal, while Crosby added two assists, helping the Penguins cruise to a 2-0 series lead. Patric Hornqvist added an empty-net goal late, all supporting another strong effort from Marc-Andre Fleury, who had 39 saves in relief of the injured Matt Murray. Crosby's early tally was the 50th of his playoff career, and he will lead his Penguins into Columbus for Game 3 on Sunday night.
