Tampa Bay, Boston, Colorado, and Philadelphia all began Wednesday with a chance to advance to the next round while eliminating Columbus, Carolina, Arizona, and Montreal respectively. Only the Canadiens lived to fight another day by earning a 5-3 victory against the Flyers.
For the Lightning, yesterday’s victory exorcised the demons of their 2019 defeat at the hand of the Blue Jackets. The Lightning entered the 2019 playoffs as a major contender to win the Stanley Cup after posting a remarkable 62-16-4 record, but they ended up being swept in the first round. As devastating as that was, it might have ultimately been a lesson the Lightning took to heart. Tampa Bay was a far stronger team against Columbus this time around. They stayed strong through adversity, even managing to overcome the loss of Steven Stamkos, who wasn’t able to play in the series. After besting the Blue Jackets in five games, the Lightning are a force to be reckoned with going forward.
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TAMPA BAY 5 COLUMBUS 4 (OT) (Lightning win series 4-1)
Brayden Point scored the overtime winner and registered two assists. He’s up to five goals and 10 points in eight postseason contests.
Nikita Kucherov assisted on three of the Lightning’s five goals. That gives him two goals and nine points in eight playoff games.
Andrei Vasilevskiy saved 37 of 41 Blue Jackets shots. He’s 6-2 with a 1.98 GAA and .927 save percentage in eight starts in the 2020 playoffs.
Nick Foligno found the back of the net and registered an assist for Columbus. He has two goals and six points in 10 playoff games.
Joonas Korpisalo turned aside 20 of 25 shots on Wednesday. His 2020 playoff run has ended with a 3-5 record, 1.90 GAA, and .941 save percentage in nine starts.
BOSTON 2 CAROLINA 1 (Bruins win series 4-1)
Haydn Fleury accounted for Carolina’s final goal of the 2020 playoffs. He finished the postseason with two goals and points in eight games.
Petr Mrazek stopped 25 of 27 Bruins shots. Both of the goals he surrendered were late in the second period on Boston power plays.
Patrice Bergeron scored the game-winning goal and registered an assist. That gives him two goals and six points in eight playoff games.
David Krejci also had a goal and an assist for Boston. He’s up to three goals and nine points in eight postseason contests.
Jaroslav Halak kicked out 23 of 24 Hurricanes shots. He improved to 3-1 with a 2.29 GAA and .912 save percentage in the 2020 postseason.
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COLORADO 7 ARIZONA 1 (Avalanche win series 4-1)
Darcy Kuemper allowed six goals on 30 shots over the first two periods. Antti Raanta was put in for the third period and turned aside five of six shots.
At the other end of the ice, Philipp Grubauer kicked out 23 of 24 shots. He improved to 5-0-1 with a 1.49 GAA and .937 save percentage in six playoff starts.
Nathan MacKinnon led the charge for Colorado with two goals and four points. He’s up to four goals and 13 points in eight postseason games.
Nazem Kadri scored a pair of goals for the Avalanche. That gives him six goals and 11 points in eight playoff contests.
Arizona’s lone goal was scored by Clayton Keller. It was his fourth goal and seventh point in nine postseason games.
MONTREAL 5 PHILADELPHIA 3 (Flyers lead series 3-2)
While the Flyers lost, Jakub Voracek did his best to close out the series. He scored two goals and registered an assist. He’s up to four goals and seven points in seven playoff contests.
Carter Hart kicked out 28 of 32 Canadiens shots. He had shutout Montreal in each of his last two starts.
At the other end of the ice, Carey Price saved 20 of 22 shots. He improved to 5-4 with a 1.65 GAA and .943 save percentage in nine postseason contests.
Joel Armia scored a pair of goals for Montreal. He’s up to three goals and points in nine playoff games.
Nick Suzuki scored the game-winning goal and registered an assist. That gives him two goals and five points in nine contests.
VANCOUVER 4 ST. LOUIS 3 (Canucks lead series 3-2)
Tyler Motte scored a pair of goals, including the game winner. They were his first two goals in nine playoff games.
J.T. Miller scored a goal and registered an assist for the Canucks. He’s up to five goals and 10 points in nine postseason contests.
Jacob Markstrom kicked out 36 of 39 Blues shots. He allowed three goals in each of his last four starts, but he’s also faced at least 37 shots in every one of those games.
Brayden Schenn found the back of the net for St. Louis. It was his second goal and fifth point in eight playoff games.
Jake Allen turned aside 26 of 30 shots Wednesday night. He has a 2-1-1 record, 1.85 GAA, and .939 save percentage in four postseason starts.
