- Andrei Svechnikov and Connor McDavid treated fans with not one, but two hat tricks. Very generous.
- Carey Price played about as well as you could without actually winning.
- The Rangers are the first team facing pending elimination, while other series are now 1-0 or tied 1-1.
Monday’s NHL scores, recaps
Hurricanes 4, Rangers 1 (Carolina leads series 2-0)
The Hurricanes have yet to trail in this 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifier series, and the Rangers are running out of time to get back into this. The series could end as soon as Tuesday; either way, the Rangers face serious odds in overcoming this deficit in a best-of-five series. Andrei Svechnikov collected a hat trick, with Sebastian Aho generated three assists of his own. The gap between the Hurricanes and Rangers only seems to get more pronounced as this series goes along. Things will need to change on Tuesday for this not to be a very short series for Artemi Panarin & Co.
Jets 3, Flames 2 (Series tied 1-1)
With Calgary up 1-0, and without both Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine, the deck seemed stacked against the Jets. Despite those absences, and seeing the Flames tie things up after Winnipeg went up 2-0, the Jets just found a way to hang in there and tie this series 1-1. Connor Hellebuyck continues to play at a very high level, but the Jets must feel great about their overall team effort to grind out this tough win.
Lightning 3, Capitals 2 (SO) -- Eastern Conference Round Robin
Early on, the Lightning dominated puck possession against the Capitals, eventually taking a 2-0 lead. That wouldn’t be enough, as the Capitals were the ones striking lightning-quick with two fast goals. Ultimately, the Lightning won in the shootout to tie the Flyers early on in the race for the East’s top seed.
Golden Knights 5, Stars 3 -- Western Conference Round Robin
The biggest story from this one came before the game, as Golden Knights (Ryan Reaves and Robin Lehner) joined Stars (Tyler Seguin and Jason Dickinson) in kneeling during both national anthems. The game itself featured wild swings. After the Golden Knights built a 1-0 first period lead, the Stars rattled off three consecutive goals. The Golden Knights ended up owning the third, however, scoring four straight goals to win.
Penguins 3, Canadiens 1 (Series tied 1-1)
When SIdney Crosby scored earlier on, it seemed like it might begin an explosive game. Instead, Carey Price proved very difficult to beat, but the Penguins pulled it off. It wasn’t always pretty -- the Penguins’ power play was particularly pungent -- but Pittsburgh tied the series 1-1 on Monday.
Oilers 6, Blackhawks 3 (Series tied 1-1)
Connor McDavid didn’t waste a minute shutting his critics up. He barely “wasted” a second. McDavid scored the 1-0 goal just 19 seconds into Game 2, and ultimately managed a hat trick. Nothing bland about that.
[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
Three Stars from Monday’s NHL games
1a. Andrei Svechnikov (with Sebastian Aho); 1b. Connor McDavid (with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins)
How do you pick between hat tricks, in the cases of Svechnikov and McDavid? Especially since, remarkably, both McDavid and Svechnikov managed their hat tricks on three shots on goal apiece? Oh yeah, both McDavid and Svechnikov both scored the game-winning goals on their way to hat tricks, and each player was accompanied by three-assist teammates in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Sebastian Aho respectively.
Well ... you really need to split hairs. Svechnikov and McDavid both, naturally, dominated play in collecting their hat tricks. Svechnikov was on the ice for two even-strength goals for and none against, while McDavid (two for, one against) had slightly less of a “net positive” at five-on-five. So let’s consider Svechnikov “1a” for Monday.
Also, more people will (understandably) focus on McDavid, so let’s get Svechnikov some love, too. The dude did entertain us with lacrosse-style goals, after all.
3. Carey Price
It’s tough to hand the third star spot to the goalie of a losing team. You could make the point for the three-assist men above, along with another three-helper in Miro Heiskanen of the Stars. Connor Hellebuyck was sharp in helping the Jets manage a hard-fought win.
But goodness, was Price ever outstanding against the Penguins in Game 2. Via Natural Stat Trick, the Penguins’ expected goals at all strengths was 5.51, the most of any team on Monday. That was due in large part to the power-play opportunities the Penguins received, but they truly dominated the Habs. Price kept the Canadiens in the game by stopping 35 out of 37 shots.
It wasn’t enough to steal Game 2 for the Canadiens, but it was enough to impress.
2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers -- top highlights from Monday
Who in their right mind would call McDavid bland? He certainly isn’t boring on the ice:
Svechnikov: not bland, either.
Factoids
- By collecting his 68th career playoff goal, Crosby tied Gordie Howe for 18th most in NHL playoff history. That tally also pushed Crosby’s career playoff point total to 188, tying Crosby with Joe Sakic and Doug Gilmour for eighth all-time.
- For all of the Golden Knights’ accomplishments as a young team, Monday’s win marked the first time Vegas overcame a multi-goal deficit in the third period to win.
- This marks McDavid’s first playoff hat trick. Four Oilers managed a hat trick in the last 20 years: McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Bill Guerin, and Doug Weight.
Tuesday NHL schedule: Six 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifier games
Game 2: Panthers vs. Islanders, 12 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Islanders lead series 1-0)
Game 2: Coyotes vs. Predators, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Coyotes lead series 1-0)
Game 2: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs, 4 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Blue Jackets lead series 1-0)
Game 3: Flames vs. Jets, 6:45 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: Hurricanes vs. Rangers, 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Hurricanes lead series 2-0)
Game 2: Wild vs. Canucks, 10:45 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Wild lead series 1-0)
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.
