Backed by a raucous sellout crowd hungry for Orange County’s first playoff hockey since 2018, the Ducks overcame their season-long defensive shortcomings.
J.J. Moser scored 12:48 into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, tying the first-round playoff series at 1-1.
Nothing came easily for the Eastern Conference’s top seed against the Ottawa Senators in a 3-2 double-overtime win that secured a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.
The Edmonton Oilers got a boost in the opener of their first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks when Leon Draisaitl returned to the lineup.
Wyatt Johnston scored goals on a ricochet and a roller, Matt Duchene had a tiebreaking power-play goal and an assist, and the Stars beat the Wild 4-2 in Game 2 to even their Western Conference first-round playoff series.
Sidney Crosby and company will need to rely on their resilience, maybe a lot of it, if they want their postseason appearance to be more than a token cameo.
McDavid and the Oilers are seeking their third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final, having lost each of the last two seasons to the Florida Panthers.
Jordan Martinook beat Linus Ullmark from the slot at 13:53 of the second overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Monday night and take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series in the NHL playoffs.
Alex Ovechkin’s decision on whether to return for a 22nd season is the biggest loose end facing general manager Chris Patrick and president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan as they look ahead to 2026-27.
Behind a loud, energetic, sellout crowd chanting “Let’s Go Bolts!” from Thunder Alley into the arena, the Tampa Bay Lightning should have a clear home-ice advantage. Not in the playoffs.
