* Carolina and Colorado became the third and fourth teams to advance past the opening round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Hurricanes have set up a Second Round matchup with the Rangers, while the Avalanche await the winner of the Stars-Golden Knights series.
* Joseph Woll and Matthew Knies guided the Maple Leafs to victory to stave off elimination and produced the first playoff contest to feature a rookie goaltender claim the win in the same game a rookie teammate scored the overtime winner since Conor Sheary and Matt Murray did so with the Penguins (Game 2 of 2016 SCF).
* Nashville joined Toronto as the second team to force a Game 6 in their First Round series. A team has overcome a 3-1 series deficit to advance in each of the past three postseasons and in four of the past five – with each of those rallies coming in the First Round (FLA vs. BOS in 2023, NYR vs. PIT in 2022, MTL vs. TOR in 2021 & SJS vs. VGK in 2019).
* Vegas and Dallas begin Wednesdays’ two-game slate each looking to take a 3-2 series lead before the Kings take the ice in hopes of extending their series against the Oilers with a Game 5 win.
DEPTH SCORING, QUICK GOALS HELP HURRICANES SURGE TO SECOND ROUND
Seth Jarvis (1-2—3), Evgeny Kuznetsov (1-1—2) and Andrei Svechnikov (1-0—1) were three of six different goal scorers as the Hurricanes surged into the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they will meet the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers. Each of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference have currently advanced past the opening round and either the fourth- or fifth-seeded team will join them.
* The Hurricanes, who have advanced past the opening round in every postseason since the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers, are the eighth different franchise in NHL history to achieve the feat in six or more consecutive playoff years. Only the Canadiens (10 from 1984-1993 & 1951-1960), Flyers (9 from 1973-1981) and Islanders (1979-1985) had a streak longer than six straight postseasons.
* Kuznetsov, one of five Stanley Cup champions on the Hurricanes’ active roster and acquired by the club ahead of the Trade Deadline, wowed the PNC Arena crowd with a penalty-shot goal in the opening period. He joined Jordan Martinook (Game 3 of the 2023 R2) as the second player in franchise history to score a penalty-shot goal in the playoffs and joined Eric Lindros (Game 5 of 1997 CSF) as just the second player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to do so in a series-clinching game.
* Game 5’s offensive outburst also featured Carolina strike for two quick goals in a franchise record eight-second span – a mark that bested a nine-second burst earlier in the series in Game 2. The Hurricanes became the second team in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to score a pair of goals in a span of 10 seconds or less multiple times in the same series. The other: Pittsburgh (0:05 in Game 3 of 2018 R1 & 0:10 in Game 6 of 2018 R1).
* Carolina and New York meet in the postseason after concluding the regular season just three points apart in the standings – the two clubs combined to occupy first and second in the Metropolitan Division for two-thirds of the regular season (66%; 127 of 192 days) and every day for almost the final three months of the campaign (86 consecutive days from Jan. 24 onward).
AVALANCHE WITHSTAND “WINNIPEG WHITEOUT” IN HIGH-SCORING FIRST ROUND SERIES
In the eighth five-game series in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to feature two teams combine for at least 43 goals, it was the Avalanche that scored at least five times for the fifth straight game and withstood two Jets tying tallies to advance to the Second Round. Colorado awaits the winner between Dallas and the reigning champions.
* The Avalanche, who concluded the regular season as the NHL’s highest-scoring team, became the fourth club in Stanley Cup Playoffs history with five or more goals in each of their first five games from the start of a postseason. They joined the 1985 Black Hawks (7 GP), 1994 Rangers (6 GP) and 1981 Islanders (5 GP).
* While Mikko Rantanen (2-1—3) led the charge in Game 5, Valeri Nichushkin (7-0—7) and Artturi Lehkonen (5-3—8) carried the load offensively throughout the series by finding the back of the net in all five contests. The duo became the first set of teammates in Stanley Cup Playoffs history with simultaneous postseason-opening goal streaks five games, surpassing Lanny McDonald and Joe Mullen with the 1986 Flames (4 GP) as well as Ron Duguay and Ulf Nilsson with the 1981 Rangers (4 GP).
* The Avalanche and Stars were separated by five points or fewer for 97% of the regular season (186 of 192 days), while a showdown with the Golden Knights would be the third in the past 32 years to feature Stanley Cup winners from the previous two years (CHI vs. LAK: 2014 CF & DET vs. ANA: 2009 CSF).
ROOKIES RISE TO THE OCCASION AS MAPLE LEAFS FORCE GAME 6 WITH OT WIN
In a contest without their teammate and 69-goal scorer Auston Matthews in the lineup, rookies Joseph Woll (27 saves) and Matthew Knies (1-0—1) shone in their sixth and 12th career playoff games respectively, as the latter scored 2:26 into overtime and helped the Maple Leafs stave off elimination and force a Game 6 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.
* Woll returned to the state of Massachusetts for just his second NHL appearance at TD Garden (also March 7, 2024) – a rink approximately 6.5 miles east of Conte Forum, the home of the Boston College Screaming Eagles where he spent the 2016-17 to 2018-19 seasons. Woll, who also backstopped the Maple Leafs to victory in Game 4 of the 2023 Second Round, became the third goaltender in the past 10 years, and second in Maple Leafs history (also Gord McRae in Game 2 & 3 of 1975 PRLM), to record his first two career postseason wins in potential elimination games. The others: Thatcher Demko (Game 5 & 6 of 2020 R2 w/ VAN) and Michael Hutchinson (Game 5 & 6 of 2020 R2 w/ COL).
* Knies’ game-winning goal also marked his second career playoff overtime point after he first assisted on John Tavares’ series-clinching goal against Tampa Bay in Game 6 of the 2023 First Round. The 21-year-old forward became the sixth-youngest player in Maple Leafs history to score a playoff overtime goal and just the seventh rookie in the past 30 years to do so in a potential elimination game.
PREDATORS POUNCE LATE, EARN THIRD-PERIOD COMEBACK WIN TO STAY ALIVE
After conceding a third-period comeback win in Game 4, the Predators flipped the script and notched their own to stave off elimination thanks to defensemen Roman Josi and Alexandre Carrier. Nashville captured a third-period comeback win in a potential elimination game for the second time in franchise history, following Game 6 of the 2016 Second Round.
* The Predators are the second team in as many postseasons (FLA: Game 7 of 2023 R1) to post a third-period comeback win in a potential elimination game. Nashville also joined Florida (Game 6 of 2023 R1), Boston (Game 7 of 2018 R1), Colorado (Game 5 of 2018 R1), Washington (Game 5 of 2017 R2) and Chicago (Game 6 of 2013 CF) as the only clubs in the past 10 years to accomplish the feat in regulation.
* Carrier’s decisive goal was his first career tally in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He became the eighth different defenseman in Predators history to net a game-winning goal in the postseason and the NHL’s fifth in the past 20 years to have his first playoff goal stand as the game winner in a potential elimination game. The others: Scott Mayfield (Game 7 of 2020 R2 w/ NYI), Dan Girardi (Game 7 of 2012 CQF w/ NYR), Matt Carkner (Game 5 of 2010 CQF w/ OTT) and Mike Komisarek (Game 7 of 2008 CQF w/ MTL).
QUICK CLICKS
* Playoffs delivering strong ratings on ESPN and on TNT Sports
* April 30, 2024 Edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates
* Kings feel they can ‘play our game’ to stay alive in Game 5 against Oilers
* 'Shaq Hyman' returns to ‘NHL on TNT’ studio with makeshift skates
* Connor Bedard, Brock Faber, Luke Hughes named Calder Trophy finalists
FIRST ROUND CONTINUES WITH PAIR OF GAME 5s IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
A two-game Wednesday night in the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins with the Stars and Golden Knights looking to break their series stalemate and concludes with Anze Kopitar and the Kings aiming to force a Game 6 when they clash with Connor McDavid and the Oilers at Rogers Place. Both contests will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports and CBC.
* The Stars enter tonight looking to move within one of advancing to the Second Round. Dallas can become the 12th team in NHL history to win three straight games against the reigning Stanley Cup champions in the opening round the following postseason and just the sixth in the expansion era (since 1967-68), following the Ducks (4 GP vs. DET in 2003 CQF), Canucks (3 GP vs. CHI in 2011 CQF), Senators (3 GP vs. TBL in 2006 CQF), Kings (3 GP vs. EDM in 1989 DSF) and Rangers (3 GP vs. MTL in 1974 QF).
* Across the ice from Dallas, Jonathan Marchessault (36-40—76 in 99 GP) will look to help Vegas move within one of advancing to the Second Round when he skates in his 100th playoff game. Marchessault, whose 76 points are one point behind Geoff Courtnall (26-51—77) for the 14th most through 100 career playoff games among undrafted players (since the NHL Draft was introduced in 1963-64), can become just the second active undrafted player to skate in the milestone contest alongside Tyler Johnson (32-33—65 in 116 GP).
* The Kings have overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win twice in franchise history, with the first occurring in the 1989 Division Semifinals against the Oilers, when Wayne Gretzky (4-9—13) spearheaded Los Angeles’ comeback against his former club and the second in the 2014 First Round against the Sharks. Meanwhile, McDavid will look to help the Oilers advance past the opening round for the third straight season – Edmonton owns an all-time record of 15-1 when leading 3-1 in a best-of-seven series.
