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NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (1-1) at Minnesota Wild (1-1)

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NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (1-1) at Minnesota Wild (1-1)

DALLAS STARS NOTES:

FIRST ROUND SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Time (CT) DAL [C2] vs. MIN [C3] Location TV/Radio/Result
Game 1 Mon, April 17 8:30 p.m. Minnesota at Dallas American Airlines Center Wild 3, Stars 2 (2OT)
Game 2 Wed, April 19 8:30 p.m. Minnesota at Dallas American Airlines Center Stars 7, Wild 3
Game 3 Fri, April 21 8:30 p.m. Dallas at Minnesota Xcel Energy Center BSSW, TBS/KTCK
Game 4 Sun, April 23 5:30 p.m. Dallas at Minnesota Xcel Energy Center BSSW, TBS/KTCK
Game 5 Tue, April 25 TBD Minnesota at Dallas American Airlines Center BSSW (National: TBD)/KTCK
Game 6 * Fri, April 28 TBD Dallas at Minnesota Xcel Energy Center BSSW (National: TBD)/KTCK
Game 7 * Sun, April 30 TBD Minnesota at Dallas American Airlines Center BSSW (National: TBD)/KTCK

  • if necessary

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
April 2 – Recalled goaltender Scott Wedgewood from Texas (AHL) and loaned goaltender Matt Murray to Texas (AHL)
April 3 – Recalled defenseman Thomas Harley from Texas (AHL)
April 19 – Recalled forward Riley Tufte from Texas (AHL)

HOW THE SERIES HAS UNFOLDED
Game 1: April 17, 2023 – STARS 2 vs. WILD 3 (2OT) | Minnesota leads series 1-0 The Stars opened their 2023 Western Conference First Round series against the Minnesota Wild with a 3-2 loss in double overtime. Forwards Roope Hintz (1-0—1) and Jason Robertson (1-0—1) tallied goals for the Stars, with both goals coming on the power play. Captain Jamie Benn (0-1—1), forward Joe Pavelski (0-1—1) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (0-1—1) recorded assists for Dallas, while goaltender Jake Oettinger made 45 saves on 48 shots. Heiskanen recorded a game-high 41:42 TOI, while defenseman Jani Hakanpää paced the Stars with eight hits.
PP: 2-5 | PK: 3-4 | SF: 53 | SA: 48 | DAL TOI: M. Heiskanen (41:42 – game high) | Attendance: 18,532 (sellout)
Three Stars: 1. MIN – R. Hartman 2. MIN – F. Gustavsson 3. DAL – J. Oettinger

Game 2: April 19, 2023 – STARS 7 vs. WILD 3 | Series tied 1-1
Led by a hat trick performance from forward Roope Hintz (3-1—4), the Stars tied their team record for goals in a playoff game with a 7-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center, knotting the series at a game apiece. Hintz became the 15th different player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history with an even-strength, power-play and shorthanded goal in a contest and first since Tyler Johnson in Game 2 of the 2015 Conference Finals (with Tampa Bay). Defenseman Miro Heiskanen also had a four-point night with four assists (0-4—4). It marked the second time in the past 30 years where two Stars players have recorded four-plus points in a playoff game. The other instance: Heiskanen and Denis Gurianov in Game 6 of the 2020 First Round. Forward Evgenii Dadonov (2-0—2) tallied the first two playoff goals of his career, captain Jamie Benn (1-1—2) posted a goal and an assist and forward Tyler Seguin (1-0—1) potted a power-play tally in the win. With two assists, forward Jason Robertson (0-2—2) earned his first multi-point game of his postseason career. Goaltender Jake Oettinger made 23 saves on 26 shots for his fifth career playoff victory.
PP: 3-6 | PK: 4-5 | SF: 31 | SA: 26 | DAL TOI: M. Heiskanen (22:36) | Attendance: 18,532 (sellout)
Three Stars: 1. DAL – R. Hintz 2. DAL – E. Dadonov 3. DAL – M. Heiskanen

DALLAS STARS NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: After seeing the Stars and Wild split the first two games in Dallas, the series shifts to Saint Paul beginning tonight with Game 3 at Xcel Energy Center (8:30 p.m. CT, TV: BSSW, TBS, Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310- AM). When a best-of-seven series is tied 1-1, the winner of Game 3 holds an all-time series record of 231-115 (.668) (3-5 in 2022).

THINGS ARE GETTING WILD OVER HERE

  • This marks the second time the Stars and Wild have met in the playoffs, with the Stars winning the 2016 First Round series in six games.
  • Through two games, forward Roope Hintz leads the Stars in goals (4) and shares first in points (4-1—5) against the Wild.
  • In Game 2, Hintz (3-1—4) recorded the first playoff home hat trick in Dallas Stars history (since 1993) and second in franchise history (also Dino Ciccarelli in 1981 w/ MNS). It marked the first postseason hat trick for the Stars since forward Joel Kiviranta in Game 7 of the 2020 Western Conference Second Round at Colorado on Sept. 4, 2020.
  • Hintz became the 15th different player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history with an even-strength goal, power-play goal and shorthanded goal in a contest and first since Tyler Johnson in Game 2 of the 2015 Conference Finals (w/ TBL).
  • Defenseman Miro Heiskanen has five points (0-5—5) in two games vs. Minnesota, including a four-assist performance in Game 2.
  • Heiskanen (0-4—4) matched the franchise record for most points in a playoff game by a Stars/North Stars defenseman, a mark set by Brad Maxwell (0-4—4 in Game 4 of 1981 SCF) and equaled by Heiskanen (1-3—4 in Game 6 of 2020 R1).
  • Hintz (3-1—4) and Heiskanen (0-4—4) combined for the second time in the past 30 years where two Stars players have recorded four-plus points in a playoff game. The other instance: Heiskanen and Denis Gurianov in Game 6 of the 2020 First Round.
  • Forward Evgenii Dadonov ranks second on the Stars in goals (2) through two games against the Wild. Both of his goals came in Game 2, which also represented the first two goals of his postseason career (6 GP).
  • In Game 2, captain Jamie Benn scored his 21st career playoff goal to pass Al MacAdam (20) and move into a tie with Brett Hull for 10th place on the franchise’s all-time list.
  • With a win in Game 2, goaltender Jake Oettinger (Lakeville, Minn.) became the first Minnesota-born goalie to earn a playoff victory against a Minnesota-based team (the Wild and North Stars)

MINNESOTA WILD NOTES:

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES NOTES
DALLAS STARS
All-Time Wild Record: 37-37-13 (24-13-5 at Xcel Energy Center, 13-24-8 at Dallas)

2023-23: The Wild went 2-2-0 in the season series with the Stars…Minnesota won the series opening game at American Airlines Center, 6-5, in a shootout (12/4), lost 4-1 at Xcel Energy Center in the second game (12/29), lost 4-1 at Dallas in the third game (2/8) and won, 2-1, in shootout in the final meeting at St. Paul (2/17)… LW Kirill Kaprizov (2-1=3) and RW Mats Zuccarello (1-2=3) led Minnesota with three points each…C Joel Eriksson Ek (2-0=2), D Jared Spurgeon (0-2=2), RW Ryan Reaves (0-2=2) each recorded two points…G Marc-Andre Fleury went 1-1-0 with a 3.87 GAA and a .896 SV% after starting the first two meetings for the Wild…G Filip Gustavsson started the final two games and went 1-1-0 with a 1.97 GAA and a .939 SV%…C Roope Hintz paced Dallas with seven points (4-3=7)…LW Jason Robertson had five points (1-4=5)…C Wyatt Johnston tallied four points (1-3=4)…G Jake Oettinger went 2-0-1 with a 1.87 GAA and a .947 SV% in four starts for Dallas…G Scott Wedgewood entered during the first game (12/4) and stopped 14 of 15 shots faced, earning the loss.

WILD LEADERS: Zuccarello (3-16=19 in 22 games) leads Minnesota with 20 points (4-16=20) in 23 games against Dallas…Spurgeon owns 19 points (6-13=1) in 42 contests…C Ryan Hartman has 14 points (7-7=14) in 27 matches…Kaprizov has 12 points (6-6=12) in eight contests…D Matt Dumba owns 12 points (6-6=12) in 30 games.

WILD GOALIES: Fleury is 13-6-1 with a 2.18 GAA, a .927 SV% and one shutout in 20 games played (20 starts) vs. the Stars…Gustavsson is 3-1-0 with a 1.73 GAA and a .950 SV% in four starts.

STARS LEADERS: C Tyler Seguin (18-27=45 in 41 matches) and LW Jamie Benn (20-25=45 in 52 games) lead the Stars with 45 points each against Minnesota…C Joe Pavelski owns 44 points (21-23=44) in 53 games against the Wild…Hintz has 15 points (7-8=15) in 16 contests.

STARS GOALIES: Oettinger is 4-0-1 with a 2.40 GAA and a .917 SV% in seven career games (six starts)…Wedgewood is 0-1-2 with a 3.25 GAA and a .887 SV% in four games (two starts).

FAST FACTS: Minnesota is 20-14-5 in the last 10 seasons (2013-23) against Dallas…The Wild is 6-4-0 in the last 10 games against the Stars at Xcel Energy Center…Minnesota has points in 11 of the last 19 games (9-8-2) played at American Airlines Center…Minnesota was defeated by Dallas in six games in the 2016 First Round.

NOTES AND NUMBERS
Team: Earned a 3-2 double overtime victory in Game 1 at DAL (4/17) before falling 7-3 in Game 2 at DAL (4/19)

• Marcus Johansson and Frederick Gaudreau scored goals 11 seconds apart in the second period of Wednesday’s 7-3 loss. It marked the shortest time elapsed between two goals in franchise playoff history, besting the previous mark of 16 seconds set in Game 6 of the 2016 First Round, at DAL (4/24/16).

• The Wild played the longest contest in franchise history in Game 1, earning the win 32:20 into extra time. The previous mark was 28:06 on 5/10/03, a 1-0 double overtime loss vs. ANA (CF-Game 1)

• Minnesota recorded 48 shots on goal in Game 1, the second-highest postseason total in franchise history (52 SOG vs. STL, 4/12/17)

• The Wild is now 22-11 all-time in postseason games where they score the first goal

• Minnesota is appearing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, 13th time in franchise history and the 10th time in the last 11 seasons Jonas Brodin: Appeared in his 63rd career Stanley Cup Playoff game in Game 2 at DAL (4/19), further extending his tie for the franchise record Marc-Andre Fleury: Has appeared in a Stanley Cup Playoff game for the 17th consecutive season, extending his own NHL record.

• Has tied Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy for the most total playoff years (17) by an NHL goaltender. Filip Gustavsson: Made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 1 at DAL (4/17)

• Earned the win and set a Wild postseason record with 51 saves, besting the previous mark set by Niklas Backstrom (44 saves), 4/14/08 at COL (R1-Game 3)

• Per NHL Stats, became the fifth NHL goaltender to record 51-plus saves in his playoff debut (since 1955-56 when shots on goal were officially tracked). He joined Roberto Luongo (72 in Game 1 of 2007 CQF), Jean-Sebastien Giguere (63 in Game 1 of 2003 CQF), Jose Theodore (56 in Game 4 of 1997 CQF) and Jiri Crha (55 in Game 1 of 1980 PRLM). Ryan Hartman: Scored the first overtime goal of his Stanley Cup Playoff career in Game 1 at DAL (4/17)

• Became the 10th player in franchise history to score an OTG in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Kirill Kaprizov: Scored his 10th career postseason goal in Game 1 at DAL (4/17)

• Has recorded nine points (6-3=9) in his last seven postseason games

• Currently ranks fourth in franchise history in postseason goals

• With 10 goals through 15 career postseason games, his 0.67 goals-per-game average in the Stanley Cup Playoffs ranks first among all active NHL skaters Gustav Nyquist: Registered an assist in Game 1 and two assists in Game 2. Has now recorded a point or more in all five games played for Minnesota this season (1-4=5 in three regular-season games; 0-3=3 in two postseason games) Jared Spurgeon: Appeared in his 63rd career Stanley Cup Playoff game in Game 2 at DAL (4/19), further extending his tie for the franchise record

• Recorded an assist in Game 1 at DAL (4/17) to reach 28 career postseason points (8-20=28), tied with Mikko Koivu (11-17=28) for second-most in franchise history

• Needs one assist to tie Zach Parise for most in Wild postseason history Sam Steel: Made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 1 at DAL (4/17), recording two points (1-1=2).

• According to NHL Stats, became the only player in Wild history to record multiple points in their first career playoff game.

• According to NHL Stats, became the seventh player in team history to score a goal in his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut, following Matt Dumba (2015 R1), Erik Haula (2014 R1), Cal Clutterbuck (2013 CQF), Petteri Nummelin (2007 CQF), Marian Gaborik (2003 CQF) and Filip Kuba (2003 CQF) Oskar Sundqvist: With a goal in Game 2 at DAL (4/19), became the eighth player in franchise history to score a goal in his first playoff game with the Wild.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
DATE EVENT TIME INFO/LOCATION
Sat., April 22 Practice 11 a.m. TRIA Rink
Sun., April 23 Gm. 4 vs. Dallas 5:30 p.m. BSN/TBS/KFAN 100.3 FM
Mon., April 24 Practice 10:30 a.m. TRIA Rink
Tue., April 25 Gm. 5 at Dallas* TBD TBD
Wed., April 26 Media Avail. TBD Signature Flight Support MSP
Thu., April 27 Practice 10:30 a.m. TRIA RINK
Fri., April 28 Gm. 6 vs. Dallas* TBD TBD
Sat., April 29 Practice 10:30 a.m. TRIA Rink
Sun., April 30 Gm. 7 at Dallas* TBD TBD

INJURIES
Joel Eriksson Ek: lower body
Ryan Hartman: lower body
John Klingberg: lower body
Mason Shaw: torn ACL, out for season

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
April 11 – April 20, 2023
4/19/23 Recalled F Sammy Walker from Iowa
4/17/23 Recalled G Hunter Jones from Iowa
4/15/23 Reassigned F Nic Petan to Iowa
4/14/23 Reassigned F Damien Giroux, F Marco Rossi, F Nick Swaney and F Sammy Walker to Iowa
4/13/23 Recalled F Damien Giroux from Iowa
4/12/23 Recalled F Nick Swaney and F Sammy Walker from Iowa

POSTSEASON NOTES
• The Minnesota Wild clinched a postseason berth for the fourth straight season and 13th time in franchise history, including 10 of the last 11 seasons.

• Per NHL Stats, the Wild (2000-01) can become the first expansion franchise from the NHL, NBA, NFL or MLB to play its inaugural season in the 2000s or later and win a title. Only two clubs that have entered the NHL since the start of the 1990s have won a Stanley Cup: Tampa Bay (3) and Anaheim (1).

• Of the 26 players beginning the postseason on the Wild’s roster, eight had not appeared in a Stanley Cup Playoff Game with Minnesota: Brock Faber, Filip Gustavsson, John Klingberg, Gustav Nyquist, Ryan Reaves, Mason Shaw, Sam Steel and Oskar Sundqvist. Four players had not appeared in a Stanley Cup Playoff game: Faber, Gustavsson, Shaw and Steel. Faber, Gustavsson, Nyquist, Reaves and Steel all skated for the Wild in Game 1 at DAL (4/17).

• Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 17th consecutive season, extending his NHL record among goaltenders. Fleury has also tied Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy for the most total playoff years among goaltenders.

• Fleury won a Stanley Cup alongside D Alex Goligoski and Wild general manager Bill Guerin with the 2009 Penguins. Fleury and Goligoski can become the third set of teammates in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup together with different franchises 14+ years apart – they would join Red Kelly and Marcel Pronovost (1950 DET & 1967 TOR) as well as Kelly, Pronovost and Terry Sawchuk (1952 DET & 1967 TOR)

• LW Kirill Kaprizov has 12 points (10-2=12) in 15 career playoff games, including a franchise-record seven (7-0=7) against St. Louis in the 2022 First Round.

• After recording a goal in Game 1 at DAL (4/17), Kaprizov became become the 10th player since 1943-44 to score 10 playoff goals in 14 career playoff games or fewer, joining Vladimir Tarasenko as the only players to do so in the past 32 years (per NHL Stats).

• D Jared Spurgeon (8-19—27 in 63 GP) is the franchise’s all-time leader for playoff goals, assists and points among defensemen, while
D Jonas Brodin (2-14—16 in 63 GP) and D Matt Dumba (5-10—15 in 45 GP) also rank among the top five on each of those lists (outright or tied). Spurgeon needs three postseason assists to pass Zach Parise (16-21=37) for most in franchise history

FINDING THEIR GROOVE
• Since March 1, the Wild held a 12-4-5 record and ranked seventh in the NHL in point percentage (.690) and was tied for eighth with 29 points.

• Since Feb. 11, Minnesota was tied for fourth in the NHL with 45 points (19-5-7), ranked fifth in point percentage (.726) and tied for fifth in wins.

• The Wild recorded a franchise-record 14-game point streak (11-0-3) from Feb. 17 to March 15. The streak is tied for the third-longest in the
NHL this season • Since Feb. 11, the Wild owned a .929 team save percentage and allowed 2.29 goals per game, each the second-lowest mark in the league

HOME SWEET HOME
• Dating back to Nov. 19th, Minnesota went 23-7-3 at home for a .742 point percentage, the third-most wins and home point percentage in the NHL during that span.

• The team recorded a seven-game home win streak from Nov. 27 – Dec. 18, the fourth-longest home win streak in the NHL this season.

• In home games since Nov. 19, the Wild allowed 2.18 goals per game and recorded a .925 save percentage, ranking second in the NHL in each category.

• Minnesota ranked tied for sixth in the NHL with a .659 home point percentage and tied for seventh with 25 home victories this season.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
• Minnesota recorded an 11-game road point streak (8-0-3) from 2/23 to 3/29, third-longest in franchise history and third-longest in the NHL this season.

• Since Feb. 23, the Wild was first in the NHL with a .927 road SV% and was third with a 2.53 road GAA.

ON THE POWER PLAY
• Minnesota set the single-season franchise record for power-play percentage (21.4 pct), converting 54 for 252 power-play opportunities

• The Wild converted 26.2 percent (33 of 126) of power-play opportunities at home this season, sixth-best in the NHL.

PENALTY KILLERS
• Recorded a streak of 27 consecutive successful penalty kills across 14 total games from 2/6 to 3/2. Did not allow a power-play goal in 12 consecutive games from 2/8 – 2/28, the longest streak in the NHL this season, tied for the longest streak in franchise history and tied for the 13th-longest streak in the NHL’s Expansion Era (since 1967-68 season).

• Allowed 20 opposing power-play goals on 118 opportunities (83.1 pct.) at home on the season, the seventh-best rate in the NHL

NHL Preview: Boston Bruins (1-1) at Florida Panthers (1-1)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Boston Bruins (1-1) at Florida Panthers (1-1)

BOSTON CELTICS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • The Bruins visit the Panthers tonight in game 3 of their best-of-7 Round One series.
  • They enter tonight’s game with the series tied 1-1 and they have a 23-23 record in game 3s when tied in a best-of-7 at 1-1.
  • They have a 17-18 record in best-of-7 series in which they have a 2-1 record following game 3 and they are 19-17 in best-of-7 series in which they have trailed after game 3.
  • Boston is in the post-season for the 7th straight season and 76th all-time in their history … Their 76 post-season berths are 2nd all-time in NHL history to MTL’s 85.
  • This is the 8th Round One series for Boston since the NHL adopted the format in 2013-14 and they are 5-2 in those series … Overall, they are playing their 37th first round series (preliminary series, division semifinals, conference quarterfinals and round one series) with a 19-17 record entering this post-season … They are 16-12 in those series which have been best-of-7 formats.

2023 ROUND ONE SERIES

  • The Bruins have split this series so far, opening with a 3-1 win in Boston on 4/17 and dropping a 6-3 home decision on 4/19.
  • Gm 1, April 17: Fla 1 at Bos 3 – David Pastrnak (PP), Brad Marchand (GW) and Jake DeBrusk scored goals and Tyler Bertuzzi added 2A for the series lead … Linus Ullmark earned the win in net … SOG: Bos 29, Fla 32 … PP: 1/2 … PK: 0/2
  • Notes: Linus Ullmark recorded his 1st career playoff victory … Tyler Bertuzze played his 1st NHL playoff game and his 1st playoff points with 2A … Charlie Coyle played his 100th NHL playoff game … Brad Marchand scored his 50th career playoff goal, moving into 2nd place on the team’s all-time goals list.
  • Gm 2, April 19: Fla 6 at Bos 3 – Brad Marchand (SH) and Tyler Bertuzzi (PP) ended the 2nd period at 2-2 but FLA scored 4 straight before Taylor Hall scored the team’s 3rd … Linus Ullmark took the loss in goal … SOG: Bos 37, Fla 30 … PP: 1/4 … PK: 0/3 – Notes: Tyler Bertizzi scored his 1st career playoff goal … Brad Marchand netted his 2nd career playoff SHG.
  • Gm 3, April 21: Bos 0 at Fla 0 –
  • Gm 4, April 23: Bos 0 at Fla 0 –
  • Gm 5, April 26: Fla 0 at Bos 0 –
  • Gm 6, April 28: Bos 0 at Fla 0 – if necessary
  • Gm 7, April 30: Fla 0 at Bos 0 – if necessary

MAN-GAMES LOST TO INJURY – 153 Regular Season – 2 Playoff

BOSTON vs FLORIDA, LIFETIME SERIES

  • The Bruins and Panthers are playing their 2nd lifetime playoff series … The Panthers hold a 5-2 record in 7 lifetime games between these teams and have a 29-22 scoring edge in those games.
  • They played their 1st series with the 1996 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series, won by Florida in 5 games … Florida held a 4-1 advantage in games and a 22-16 goals for/against totals.
  • Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov are the lone Bruins to have played a playoff series vs. the Panthers (2022 while with Washington) prior to this postseason

2022-23 SEASON SERIES vs. FLORIDA

  • The BOS went 2-1-1 vs. Florida this season (2-0-0 in BOS, 0-1-1 at Fla) with BOS holding a 17-15 scoring advantage in those 4 games.
  • Boston won game 1 with a 5-3 win in Boston on 10/17; Florida took game 2 by a 5-2 road score on 11/23; Boston won game 3 with a 7-3 home victory on 12/19; and the series ended with a 4-3 Panthers win in OT on 1/28.
  • Patrice Bergeron led the series with 3-3=6 totals with David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, Connor Clifton and Brad Marchand adding 4 points each.
  • Linus Ullmark (2-0-0, 3.00 GAA, .925 Sv%) and Jeremy Swayman (0-1-1, 4.03 GAA, .881 Sv%) split the series in net.

2022-23 REGULAR SEASON RECAP

  • The Bruins finished the season with the top record in NHL history at 65-12-5, as they topped both the wins mark at 65 and the points record at 135 … They went 34-4-3 at home and 31-8-2 on the road … They ranked 1st overall in the NHL with a .823 points percentage.
  • They ranked 2nd overall with 301 goals for and was 1st overall with 174 goals against … Their power play ranked 12th at 22.2% while they ranked 1st on the penalty kill at 87.3%.
  • The Bruins also led the NHL with a +128 goal differential.
  • The Bruins had opened their home schedule with an NHL-record 14-game win streak … They also had a 22-game home point streak from 10-15-2022-1/2/2023 at 19-0-3.
  • Five Bruins had 20-or-more goal seasons, led by David Pastrnak 61 and followed by Patrice Bergeron (27), Jake DeBrusk (27), Brad Marchand (21) and Pavel Zacha (21).
  • 27 individual Bruins established career-highs in either goals, assists or points – Clifton (G, A, Pts), Jake DeBrusk (G tied, Pts), Forbort (G), Frederic (G, A, Pts), Greer (G, A, Pts), Grzelcyk (A, Pts), Lindholm (A, Pts), Nosek (Pts tied), Orlov (A, Pts), Pastrnak (G, A, Pts), Swayman (W), Ullmark (W), Zacha (G, A, Pts).

OVERTIME STATS

  • The Bruins have played 144 OT games in their playoff history with a 62-79-3 overall record, 33-35-1 at home and 29-44-2 on the road.
  • They have gone to multiple OTs in 27 games and they are 11-10 in 2OT games, 3-2 in 3OT games and 0-1 in the 6OT 1933 semifinal vs. TOR that was the longest such game in their history.
  • 5 current Bruins have career OT playoff goals – Bergeron (team-record 4), Marchand (3), David Krejci (2), Coyle, Foligno.

PLAYOFF NUMBERS
3 – Players on Boston’s current playoff roster who were members of the 2011 Stanley Cup championship Bruins team – Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Brad Marchand.

4 – Current Bruins who have played 100+ NHL post-season games – Patrice Bergeron (167), David Krejci (158) and Brad Marchand (141) with Boston; Charlie Coyle (101 with MIN/BOS)

6 – Stanley Cups won by Boston (1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972, 2011) … That is tied with CHI for 4th among NHL teams, trailing only MTL (24), TOR (13) and DET (11).

29 – Game 7 appearances by BOS, which is the most by a team in NHL history … Their 15-14 record in those games are also an NHL record for wins and represent more wins than 20 current teams have played game 7s.

76 – Overall playoff appearances for the Bruins … The Bruins hold the NHL record for consecutive playoff appearances with 29 straight from 1968-1996.

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

  • F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 2
    Total Playoff Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 3
    Total Regular Season Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 239

LAST GAME
Panthers 6, Bruins 3 – April 19 – TD Garden
FLA Goals: Bennett (1), E. Staal (1), Montour (1), Verhaeghe (1), Montour (2), Luostarinen (1)
BOS Goals: Marchand (2-SHG), Bertuzzi (1-PPG), Hall (1)
FLA Goalie: Lyon (W) – 34 Saves
BOS Goalie: Ullmark (L) – 24 Saves
FLA Shots: 30
BOS Shots: 37
Notes: Brandon Montour (2-0-2) became the first defenseman in club history to record multiple goals in a playoff game…Montour’s first goal marked his first career Stanley Cup Playoffs goal, and was the fastest goal to start a period of a playoff game in franchise history…Matthew Tkachuk logged his first career multi-assist playoff game (0-2-2), extending his point streak to two games (1-2-3)…Alex Lyon won his first NHL playoff game…Nick Cousins recorded two assists…Aleksander Barkov logged an assist for his 22nd playoffs point, the most by one player in franchise history…Sam Bennett skated in his first game since March 20 and scored a goal…Colin White notched an assist for his first NHL playoffs point…Florida’s four third-period tallies represented their most in one period of postseason game in club history…The Panthers six total goal matched the franchise postseason record…Florida snapped a five-game playoffs losing streak…FLA PP: 0-3, FLA PK: 3-4

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

  • April 18: D Uvis Balinskis agreed to terms on a one-year, entry-level contract commencing in 2023-24
  • April 17: F Zac Dalpe recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
  • April 12: D Mike Benning agreed to terms on a 3-year, entry-level contract

PANTHERS vs. BOSTON
ALL-TIME vs. BOS: 44-50-6-10
ALL-TIME ROAD vs. BOS: 22-27-4-3
2022-23 vs. BOS: 2-2-0
ROUND 1 – FLA vs. BOS
GAME 1 – FLA 1, BOS 3
GAME 2 – FLA 6, BOS 3

PANTHERS PLAYOFF LEADERS
Goals: Montour (2)
Assists: Tkachuk, Cousins (2)
Points: Tkachuk (3)
Shots: Bennett (7)
Hits: Gudas (7)

BATTLING BACK IN BEANTOWN
The Panthers evened their series with the Bruins at one game apiece with a 6-3 victory over Boston at TD Garden in Game 2. The B’s only surrendered six goals or more twice in 2022-23, and had not allowed as many goals on home ice since March 29, 2022 vs. TOR. Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark’s five goals against matched his season high, which he only allowed twice with neither occurrence at TD Garden. Florida’s four third period goals represented their most in one period of a playoff game in club history, while their six total goals tied the franchise playoff game mark. Additionally, Eetu Luostarinen’s empty-net goal to seal the win marked the first-ever road empty net tally in a playoff game in Panthers history.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Panthers bring the series back to FLA Live Arena where the Cats owned a 23-13-5 record during the 2022-23, scoring the second-most home goals in a season in franchise history (153). Florida’s 3.73 goals per game at home ranked third among NHL teams this past season, led by Matthew Tkachuk whose 60 points (20-40-60) over 39 home games ranked fourth among League skaters. Brandon Montour’s 40 points (8-32-40) at FLA Live Arena were the most single-season home points by a defenseman in club history, and tied for the fifth-most among blueliners in 2022-23. From Jan. 3 through the end of the regular season, Florida posted a 14-7-2 record at home.

NHL Preview: Carolina Hurricanes (2-0) at New York Islanders (0-2)

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NHL Preview: Carolina Hurricanes (2-0) at New York Islanders (0-2)

CAROLINA HURRICANES NOTES:

GAME ONE
The Hurricanes earned a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders in their playoff opener at PNC Arena on Monday, improving to 8-1 in their nine home playoff games over the last two seasons. Sebastian Aho scored Carolina’s first goal of the playoffs on the power play, and Stefan Noesen added a second power-play goal in his Hurricanes playoff debut as Brent Burns (2a) and Martin Necas (2a) registered the assists on both goals. Antti Raanta stopped 25 of 26 shots faced in net and has now posted a 7-0 record on home ice in his Hurricanes playoff career.

GAME TWO
Carolina posted a 4-3 overtime win against the New York Islanders at PNC Arena, winning their fifth straight playoff overtime game on Jesper Fast’s first career postseason overtime goal. Brent Burns (2a) and Jaccob Slavin (1g, 1a) each recorded two points, Paul Stastny scored his first Hurricanes playoff goal and Stefan Noesen scored his second power-play goal in as many postseason games with Carolina. Antti Raanta made 23 saves in net, improving to 8-0 at home in his Hurricanes playoff career.

INJURY REPORT
Frederik Andersen, illness, missed one game (4/19)
Jake Gardiner, upper-body, missed 84 games (10/12-4/19)
Ondrej Kase, concussion, missed 83 games (10/14-4/19)
Max Pacioretty, torn Achilles, missed 39 games (1/21-4/19)
Andrei Svechnikov, torn ACL, missed 20 games (3/12-4/19)
Teuvo Teravainen, hand
2022-23 Regular-Season Man-Games Lost Due to Injury: 334
2023 Playoffs Man-Game Lost Due to Injury: 9

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
April 20 Recalled Mackenzie MacEachern from Chicago (AHL)
April 17 Recalled Pyotr Kochetkov from Chicago (AHL)
April 14 Signed Domenick Fensore to a two-year, entry-level contract
April 11 Signed Yaniv Perets to a two-year, entry-level contract

PLAYOFF STREAKS
Sebastian Aho has earned a point in back-to-back games (4/17-4/19: 1g, 1a) Brent Burns has tallied an assist in back-to-back games (4/17-4/19: 4a) Stefan Noesen has scored a goal in back-to-back games (4/17-4/19: 2g)

UPCOMING GAMES
DATE OPPONENT TIME TV RADIO
April 21 at NY Islanders 7 p.m. TBS, BSSO HRN
April 23 at NY Islanders 1 p.m. TNT, BSSO HRN
April 25 NY Islanders (if nec.) TBD TBD TBD
April 28 at NY Islanders (if nec.) TBD TBD TBD
April 30 NY Islanders (if nec.) TBD TBD TBD

  • All times are Eastern | BSSO = Bally Sports South | HRN = Hurricanes Radio Network

UPCOMING PRACTICE SCHEDULE
DATE DAY LOCATION TIME
April 21 Friday No morning skate
April 22 Saturday Northwell Health Ice Center 1 p.m.
April 23 Sunday No morning skate
April 24 Monday PNC Arena 12 p.m.
April 25 Tuesday PNC Arena 10:30 a.m.

  • All times are local. Times and locations are subject to change.

HURRICANES vs. ISLANDERS SERIES NOTES
— Carolina is facing New York in the playoffs for the second time in franchise history. The Hurricanes earned a 4-0 series sweep of the Islanders in the 2019 Eastern Conference Second Round.

— The Hurricanes and Islanders have met 155 times in their regular-season histories. Carolina holds an 81-54-9-11 overall record, including a 39-29-5-6 home record and a 58-26-0-11 record since relocation.

— The Hurricanes won the regular-season series 3-1-0 in 2022-23 (Islanders: 1-3-0), and they are 9-2-0 in the teams’ last 11 regular-season matchups dating back to 1/8/19.

— The Hurricanes suffered a 6-2 loss against the Islanders at PNC Arena on 10/28. Martin Necas and Brent Burns each scored for Carolina, while Frederik Andersen made 26 saves in net.

— Carolina earned a 3-0 win over New York at UBS Arena on 12/10. Paul Stastny, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jordan Staal scored for the Hurricanes, with Stastny’s goal marking his first tally with his new team, and Pyotr Kochetkov posted a 16-save shutout.

— The Hurricanes posted a 5-2 win over the Islanders at UBS Arena on 1/21. Sebastian Aho scored his second hat trick of the season (3g), and Jordan Staal (1g, 1a) and Teuvo Teravainen (2a) each recorded two points as Frederik Andersen stopped 29 of 31 shots faced in net.

— Carolina recorded a 2-1 win over New York at PNC Arena on 4/2. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jordan Martinook scored for the Hurricanes, while Frederik Andersen stopped 21 of 22 shots faced in net.

— Brent Burns has recorded 19 points (7g, 12a) in 26 career regular-season games against New York.

— Calvin de Haan was selected 12th overall by New York in the 2009 NHL Draft and earned 81 points (12g, 69a) in 304 games with the Islanders from 2011-17.

— A native of Tarrytown, N.Y., Brett Pesce has recorded eight points (2g, 6a) in 25 career regular-season games against the Islanders and added three assists in four playoff matchups in 2019.

— Jaccob Slavin has scored six career regular-season goals against New York, including his only career hat trick in an 8-4 win at Barclays Center on 3/3/17. He has tallied 13 points (6g, 7a) in 25 career regular-season games against the Islanders, marking his most points against any opponent, and he also posted two assists in four playoff games against New York in 2019.

— Islanders Assistant Coach Doug Houda posted 20 points (6g, 14a) and 356 penalty minutes in 142 games with Hartford from 1991-93. Acquired from DET in exchange for Doug Crossman on 2/20/91, Houda was traded to LAK in exchange for Marc Potvin on 11/3/93.

BONUS HOCKEY
The Hurricanes played their first overtime game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the 45th overtime game in franchise playoff history in Game 2 against the Islanders, improving to 28-17 in postseason overtime games. Hartford/Carolina’s .622 all-time win percentage in those contests is now the second-highest of any franchise in NHL history, behind only the Islanders (40-23: .635). The Hurricanes have won each of their last five playoff overtime games dating back to Game 5 of the 2021 First Round vs. NSH, and with Jesper Fast scoring at 5:03 of the extra frame, each of Carolina’s last six postseason overtime goals have come within the opening six minutes (also Ian Cole, 2022 ECSR G1 vs. NYR: 3:12; Jordan Staal, 2021 CDSR G3 at TBL: 5:57; Sebastian Aho, 2021 CDFR G6 at NSH: 1:06; Jordan Staal, 2021 CDFR G5 vs. NSH: 2:03; Jordan Staal, 2019 ECSR G1 at NYI: 4:04). With the primary assist on Fast’s goal, Staal has now earned a point on six playoff overtime goals in his NHL career (3g, 3a), including four of the Hurricanes’ last six (3g, 1a).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Hurricanes will play Games 3-4 against the Islanders at UBS Arena, which is set to become the 21st different arena in which Hartford/ Carolina has played a postseason game. The Hurricanes have not won a road playoff game since Game 3 of the 2021 Second Round at TBL, as they went 0-6 at TD Garden and Madison Square Garden last season, marking the longest single-season road losing streak in franchise playoff history. Carolina also lost Game 4 against the Lightning in 2021.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
DATE NYI RESULT SCORE NYI SCORERS IN GOAL
April 19, 2023
Game Two
OT Loss CAR 4 vs. NYI 3 Palmieri, Barzal,
Nelson
Sorokin (32/36)
Kyle Palmieri, Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson each scored after the Islanders allowed the first two goals of the game, but Carolina’s Jesper Fast found the back of the net in overtime and the Islanders fell to Carolina, 4-3, Wednesday night at PNC Arena in Game Two of their First Round series. Noah Dobson and Adam Pelech each recorded assists, and Ilya Sorokin turned aside 32 of 36 shots faced in the loss.

INJURIES PLAYOFF GAMES MISSED

26 Oliver Wahlstrom 2

28 Alexander Romanov 2

2022-23 Man Games Lost: 209

ROUND ONE SCHEDULE
Game One Monday, April 17 PNC Arena L, 2-1
Game Two Wednesday, April 19 PNC Arena L (OT) 4-3
Game Three Friday, April 21 UBS Arena 7pm
Game Four Sunday, April 23 UBS Arena 1pm
Game Five (if necessary) Tuesday, Apr. 25 PNC Arena TBD
Game Six (if necessary) Friday, Apr. 28 UBS Arena TBD
Game Seven (if necessary) Sunday, Apr. 30 PNC Arena TBD

VS. CAROLINA:
Last five regular season meetings
(3-0-2)
Apr. 2, 2023 PNC Arena L, 2-1
Jan. 21, 2023 UBS Arena L, 5-2
Dec. 10, 2022 UBS Arena L, 3-0
Oct. 28, 2022 PNC Arena W, 6-2
Apr. 8, 2022 PNC Arena W, 2-1

VS. CAROLINA:
ISLANDERS IN THE PLAYOFFS
Record 172-143
Home 96-53
Road 76-90
Last Playoff Appearance (2021) 11-8
Shutouts For 12; Last: Greiss, 5/9/20 at PHI
Shutouts Against 27; Last: Vasilevskiy, 6/5/21 at TBL
Hat Tricks 12; Last: Ray Ferraro, 4/26/93 (4)
Overtime Wins 40; Last: 6/23/21 SF (Beauvillier)
Overtime Losses 23; Last: 4/19/23 1st Rd (Fast)
Last playoff meeting – 2019

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL
(Carolina wins series 4-0)
APR 26 NYI 0 vs. CAR 1 L OT
APR 28 NYI 1 vs. CAR 2 L
MAY 1 NYI 2 at CAR 5 L
MAY 3 NYI 2 at CAR 5 L

2022-23 Reg. Season 1-3-0
Franchise History 65-74-9-7
NYI Home 30-38-4-4
NYI Away 35-36-5-3
Playoffs 0-6 (0-2 home/0-3 away)

ISLANDERS IN THE PLAYOFFS
Record 172-143
Home 96-53
Road 76-90
Last Playoff Appearance (2021) 11-8

Shutouts For 12; Last: Greiss, 5/9/20 at PHI
Shutouts Against 27; Last: Vasilevskiy, 6/5/21 at TBL
Hat Tricks 12; Last: Ray Ferraro, 4/26/93 (4)
Overtime Wins 40; Last: 6/23/21 SF (Beauvillier)
Overtime Losses 23; Last: 4/19/23 1st Rd (Fast)

TEAM NOTES
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Tonight, the New York Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Three of their First Round Series in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders will look to earn their first win of the series after falling to Carolina 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night. Tonight’s matchup is also the Islander’s their first-ever postseason game at UBS Arena.

GAME 2 NOTES Islanders forwards Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson each scored a goal and an assist on Wednesday night. The goals were the 16th and 24th of their postseason careers, respectively. Palmieri ties Josh Bailey for third-most amongst active Islander skaters, behind Nelson (24) and Zach Parise (37). Mathew Barzal scored his third goal in six career playoff games against Carolina, and Noah Dobson recorded the second multi-assist game of this postseason career. He is the first Islander defenseman to record at least two multi-assist games in the playoffs since Roman Hamrlik (2002-03).

The Islanders also registered 54 hits on Wednesday night in Carolina. It is just the eighth time in franchise history that the Islanders have recorded as many hits in a playoff game, and the first time since May 16, 2021 against the Pittsburgh Penguins (72).

HOME AGAIN Tonight’s game is the Islanders’ first-ever postseason game at UBS Arena. The Islanders enter tonight’s matchup with a 96-53 franchise postseason record on home ice. Their .644 win percentage at home in the playoffs is tied with the Edmonton Oilers for second-best in NHL Playoff history. The Islanders also finished the regular season with the league’s best penalty kill on home ice (89.2%), allowing just 11 power play goals in 102 times shorthanded at UBS Arena. Since 2019, the Islanders have an 81.8% success rate on the penalty kill on home ice in the postseason.

SERIES NOTES This year is the first season that the Islanders have qualified for the playoffs with Lane Lambert as Head Coach, and their fourth appearance in the playoffs in their last five seasons. While this is Lambert’s first postseason as a Head Coach, he had a 69-52 career record across eight postseason campaigns as an Associate and Assistant Coach prior to this postseason campaign, including a Stanley Cup championship in 2018 with the Washington Capitals.

The Islanders and Hurricanes have met in the playoffs once before, in the Second Round in 2019. These teams also met four times in their 2022-23 regular season series (1-3-0), most recently on April 2 at PNC Arena, a 2-1 decision in the Hurricanes’ favor. The Islanders finished the 2022-23 regular season with a 16-8-2 record against Metropolitan Division, one of three teams (Carolina, New Jersey) to collect at least 16 intra-division wins in the Metro. The Islanders and Hurricanes have combined for three Conference Final appearances in the past four years (2019, 2020 and 2021). 11 Islanders skaters enter the series with prior playoff experience vs. the Carolina Hurricanes. They are led by Zach Parise, who has recorded eight points (three goals, five assists in 14 games against the Hurricanes, but has not recorded a point against them as a member of the Islanders.

NWSL Preview: Racing Louisville FC (0-0-3) at Portland Thorns FC (2-0-1)

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NWSL Preview: Racing Louisville FC (0-0-3) at Portland Thorns FC (2-0-1)

Players to watch:

In Portland’s 1-1 draw with Houston last weekend, attacker Crystal Dunn became the 11th player to score at least 40 career goals in NWSL play (regular season and playoffs). Of those 40 goals, 22 have come with Dunn’s left foot, the third-most left-footed goals in NWSL history (including playoffs), behind Alex Morgan (41) and Marta (24). The club is led in scoring by forward Sophia Smith, who has netted four goals in three regular season games with only one of those coming from the penalty spot. 

Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo scored on a penalty kick just 2:42 into Louisville’s 2-2 draw with Angel City. The goal was the second earliest penalty kick from kickoff in an NWSL game ever (Lo’eau LaBonta – 2:33 for Kansas City vs. Racing Louisville last season). DeMelo is one of four goalscorers on the year for Racing, with teammates Kirsten Davis, Abby Erceg, and Ary Borges all finding the back of the net.

Match facts: Saturday’s curtain closer pits Portland Thorns FC against Racing Louisville FC at Providence Park, with Portland looking to extend its regular season unbeaten run to four games after wins over Orlando and Kansas City, while Racing Louisville enter looking to achieve the same feat but after three consecutive draws. 

The Thorns are on a great run to start of the year. Portland has lost just three times in its last 29 regular season matches (W13 D13), dating back to 2021. The only NWSL team to ever have three or fewer losses in a 30-game span in NWSL history is the Courage who did so multiple times spanning 2017 through 2019. In addition, the club’s nine goals through three games include two games in which they scored four goals.

On the other side, Racing Louisville has tied all three of its matches in league play this season with the last two coming by a 2-2 scoreline. It is the first time in NWSL history that a team has started a season with three straight draws. While it was a two-goal comeback against Washington at the beginning of April for its first 2-2 draw, most recently, it was a two-goal cushion that Racing let go in order for Angel City to earn their own comeback draw.

The Thorns have won all four their NWSL meetings with Racing Louisville, scoring multiple goals in each game while allowing just one goal in total. Portland has never won five straight regular season games while scoring multiple goals in each match against a single opponent.

NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition – April 21, 2023

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NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition – April 21, 2023

* The Maple Leafs received a hat trick and four assists by John Tavares and Morgan Rielly, respectively, to rebound from a 7-3 loss in Game 1 with a 7-2 win in Game 2.

* After dropping Game 1 to Wild Card clubs, the Golden Knights and Avalanche each evened their series. It marked just the second time that every opening-round series involving Western Conference teams are tied 1-1 since conferences were renamed in 1994 (also 2010).

* Chris Kreider achieved a first-of-its-kind feat as the Rangers recorded a second straight 5-1 win at “The Rock” and will head back across the Hudson River with a 2-0 series lead.
 

MAPLE LEAFS FLIP THE SCRIPT TO EVEN FIRST ROUND SERIES WITH LIGHTNING
Toronto, which fell behind 3-0 through 20 minutes and 6-2 through 40 in its postseason-opening loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday, raced to a 3-0 first-intermission lead and built it to 6-1 at the second en route to a bounce-back victory in Game 2.

* Morgan Rielly recorded the primary helper on each of the Maple Leafs’ first four goals – including all three in the first period – to match the franchise record for most assists in a playoff game. Doug Gilmour (Game 4 of 1994 CSF), Darryl Sittler (Game 3 of 1977 PRLM) and Ian Turnbull (Game 6 of 1976 QF) achieved the feat prior to Rielly.

* John Tavares made hats rain down at Scotiabank Arena, marking the first playoff hat trick by the Maple Leafs in over two decades as he became just the fourth Toronto player in the past 30 years to record a three-goal performance in the postseason. He joined Alexander Mogilny (Game 1 of 2003 QCF), Mike Gartner (Game 5 of 1996 CQF) and Wendel Clark (Game 6 of 1993 CF).

* The Maple Leafs became the second team in the past 29 years to score seven goals in a playoff contest immediately after allowing seven-plus in their previous outing, joining the Penguins in the 2012 Conference Quarterfinals.



DIVISION LEADERS EVEN THEIR SERIES

The Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights and Central Division-leading Avalanche each earned comeback wins Thursday to even their series at 1-1. Each opening-round series involving Western Conference teams are tied 1-1 for the first time since 2010.


* Jack Eichel scored his first career postseason goal while appearing in just his second career playoff game. Eichel has the fifth-most regular-season goals (175) among active players before scoring his first in the postseason, behind Matt Duchene (232), Jordan Eberle (209), Taylor Hall (191) and Evander Kane (186). The evened series now shifts to Winnipeg for the return of the “Winnipeg Whiteout.”


* Cale Makar (0-1—1) factored on the first of three unanswered Colorado goals to help the Avalanche secure a multi-goal comeback win – Colorado had one multi-goal comeback victory during its 2022 Stanley Cup championship run (Game 4 of CF) and completed 10 comebacks overall, tied with the 2009 Penguins for the most in NHL history in a postseason. The deadlocked series now shifts to Seattle, which will host the first Stanley Cup Playoffs game in over 104 years.



KREIDER ACHIEVES NHL-FIRST AS RANGERS TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD ON THE ROAD
Chris Kreider tallied twice and became the first player in League history with four power-play goals through his first two games in a playoff year while countrymen Patrick Kane (1-2—3) and Adam Fox (0-2—2) combined for five points as New York left Prudential Center with a 2-0 lead in its First Round series.

* Kreider (4-0—4 in 2 GP) needs just two power-play goals to match the NHL record for most in a single series, a mark set by former Rangers forward Chris Kontos in the 1989 Division Semifinals (6 w/ LAK). Kreider is just five back of the League record for most in a playoff year, which is shared by Mike Bossy in 1981 (9 w/ NYI) and Cam Neely in 1991 (9 w/ BOS).

* Kane (53-83—136 in 138 GP) scored his 53rd career postseason goal and tied Jeremy Roenick (53-69—122 in 154 GP) for fourth place on the NHL’s all-time list among U.S.-born players. Joe Pavelski (64-62—126 in 169 GP), Joe Mullen (60-46—106 in 143 GP) and Mike Modano (58-88—146 in 176 GP) round out the top three.

* Fox (0-6—6 in 2 GP) became the sixth defenseman in League history with six points through his first two games in a playoff year, joining Gary Suter in 1988 (1-6—7 in 2 GP), John Carlson in 2018 (0-6—6 in 2 GP), Al MacInnis in 1999 (2-4—6 in 2 GP), Bobby Orr in 1971 (2-4—6 in 2 GP) and Pierre Pilote in 1964 (1-5—6 in 2 GP).

QUICK CLICKS

* Thursday’s #NHLStats: Live Updates
* NHL Network to premiere ‘NHL Regular Season Awards Show’ on Saturday
* Eli Manning hypes up Devils fans before Game 2 against Rangers
* Islanders set to soak in playoff atmosphere at UBS Arena for first time
* Brandon Tanev blows kiss in priceless goal celebration

FOUR TEAMS RETURN HOME AS SERIES SHIFT FOR PIVOTAL GAME 3s

The Islanders, Panthers, Wild and Kings all return to the friendly confines of their home rinks as four series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to contest pivotal Game 3s, with New York entering as the only club of the four looking to earn their first win of the 2023 postseason.



* The Islanders are set to host a playoff game at UBS Arena for the first time – a rink that witnessed the club conclude the regular season with four consecutive victories and outscoring the opposition 19-4 through that span. New York’s all-time winning percentage of .644 as the designated home team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is tied with Edmonton for the second highest in NHL history, trailing only Montreal (.656).

* Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers evened their series against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins in their last outing and now return to FLA Live Arena with the hopes of a 2-1 advantage. Florida, one of only two teams to hand Boston multiple losses during the regular season (FLA: 2-2-0 in 4 GP & OTT: 2-2-0 in 4 GP), also played a part in one of only two sets of consecutive Bruins losses in 2022-23 after handing the club an overtime defeat Jan. 28 (3 GP from Jan. 26-29 & 2 GP from March 12-14).

* Fresh off a four-assist performance in Game 2, Miro Heiskanen (0-5—5 in 2 GP) has his sights set on aiding the Stars to a 2-1 series versus the Wild as their First Round showdown shifts to “The State of Hockey”. Heiskanen sits second for points among defensemen so far this postseason, behind Adam Fox (0-6—6 in 2 GP).

* Leon Draisaitl (3-2—5 in 2 GP) has led the Oilers offensively through their first two games of the First Round series, a stretch that includes a 2-0—2 effort in Game 1 and 1-2—3 in Game 2. Already with 19 career multi-point games in the playoffs (39 GP), Draisaitl can become just the fourth player in NHL history to record multiple points in at least half of his first 40 career outings in the postseason; only Wayne Gretzky (25 GP), Sidney Crosby (22 GP) and Mario Lemieux (21 GP) have done so.

NWSL Preview: North Carolina Courage (1-2-0) at NJ/NY Gotham FC (2-1-0)

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NWSL Preview: North Carolina Courage (1-2-0) at NJ/NY Gotham FC (2-1-0)

Players to watch:

Gotham FC scored the latest two goals in NWSL history in its 2-0 win over Orlando on Saturday, with forward Midge Purce scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot at 99:52, which stood as the latest goal in the league’s history. That record then held for nearly seven minutes before teammate Lynn Williams set a new mark with a goal at 106:44. Purce and Williams are the only Gotham players to have scored in three regular season games to date, with both of Purce’s coming from the penalty spot while both goals from Williams came during open play.

Courage midfielder Denise O’Sullivan scored in the ninth minute of stoppage time to salvage a point for North Carolina at Orlando in the Challenge Cup Wednesday. It was O’Sullivan’s first goal for an NWSL club in an away match since scoring for the Dash at the Courage’s predecessor, Western New York, in August 2016. However, only teammates Mille Gejl (1) and Kerolin (2) have found the back of the net in the regular season, with Gejl’s winner against the Current in Week 1 and two separate goals from the penalty spot by Kerolin in losses against San Diego and Washington.

Match facts: Gotham FC welcomes the North Carolina Courage to Red Bull Arena as NWSL action continues on Saturday night, with Gotham looking to continue its good form with two wins in three games, while the Courage are aiming for a first win since opening day. 

Gotham FC defeated the Washington Spirit, 1-0, in its most recent match—the club’s Challenge Cup opener on Wednesday night in New Jersey. Forward Lynn Williams scored just before the hour mark to make it three wins out of four in all competitions in 2023. Gotham has more points int here league matches this season (6) than it managed in its final 17 games last year (4 – W1 D1 L15). Gotham lost its only home match this year and is winless in 10 straight at home in all competitions (D1 L9), tying the second longest streak in NWSL history (Gotham – 13 straight in 2017-2018).

The Courage need a boost heading into Saturday night with their late draw against Orlando stopping a two-game skid in the regular season. North Carolina snatched a point at the Pride with the late equalizer from O’Sullivan, but prior to that lost each of its last two regular season matches, falling 3-1, at San Diego before a 2-1 defeat to Washington on Saturday. The Courage have two three-match losing streaks in franchise history in NWSL play, starting last season with three straight losses and losing three straight in October 2021, the third of which was against Gotham FC.

North Carolina won three of its four meetings with Gotham FC in all competitions last season (D1). The Courage have 11 wins over Gotham in the club’s NWSL history (D3 L4), the second most by one team over another since the Courage entered the league in 2017, behind just North Carolina themselves versus Washington (12). 

NWSL Preview: Houston Dash (1-0-2) at Washington Spirit (2-0-1)

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NWSL Preview: Houston Dash (1-0-2) at Washington Spirit (2-0-1)

Players to watch:

Washington forward Ashley Hatch scored the match-winning goal from the penalty spot in Washington’s 2-1 victory over the Courage on Saturday. It was Hatch’s 29th goal in all NWSL competitions since the start of the 2021 season, tied with Sophia Smith for the most of any player in the league in that time. Hatch has already tacked on three goals in three regular season games as well, with teammate Trinity Rodman scoring the club’s two other goals in an unbeaten start.

Houston forward Ebony Salmon attempted five shots in Houston’s draw on Friday and has taken a team-high 11 shots this season. Since debuting for the Dash last July, Salmon has attempted 48 shots, nearly twice as many as any other Dash player, as only Sophia Smith (78) and Morgan Weaver (53) have taken more in that time. Though Salmon is not on the scoresheet yet this season, teammates Ashley Sánchez and Diana Ordóñez have scored in Houston’s own unbeaten start. 

Match facts: The Washington Spirit welcome the Houston Dash to Audi Field on Saturday night, looking to extend their unbeaten run in the league to four games after two wins and a draw to start the year. Meanwhile, the Dash are also riding an unbeaten streak of their own (W1 D2) and will look to avoid defeat in their third consecutive away game.

The Spirit fell 1-0 to Gotham FC in midweek’s Challenge Cup action, but with obvious rotation having taken place. In the league, Washington’s 2-1 win over North Carolina on the road last week has only helped continue its record-pacing start to the year. The three-game unbeaten run is just the second time in club history (W3 – 2016 season) the feat has been achieved, meaning a win over Houston would equal Washington’s win total from all of the 2022 regular season. In addition, Washington beat OL Reign, 1-0, thanks to Trinity Rodman’s second half goal to start the year in their only other match at home. 

Houston’s scoreless draw to start the year was followed up with two more impressive results—a 2-1 win over Chicago on the road and a 1-1 draw in Portland. This pushes the Dash to a three-game unbeaten run with only a loss to Kansas City midweek in the Challenge Cup preventing them from extending their streak in all competitions. Heading back on the road, Houston has suffered only two defeats in 13 regular season road matches since the start of last season (W8 D3). Only North Carolina between 2017 and 2019 (32) has collected more points in a span of 13 road matches in NWSL history than Houston’s 27 since the start of last season. 

The Dash have won three of their last six visits to Washington (D1 L2) dating back to 2018 after winning just one of their first six matches at the Spirit (L5). Houston only has more road wins against Gotham FC (5) than its four at the Spirit.

NWSL Preview: Chicago Red Stars (1-2-0) at OL Reign (2-1-0)

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NWSL Preview: Chicago Red Stars (1-2-0) at OL Reign (2-1-0)

Players to watch:

OL Reign midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt scored the latest goal in Reign history with her 95th-minute winner in the team’s 1-0 win on Saturday. It was Van der Jagt’s first goal in any NWSL competition since scoring at 93:44 against Angel City on April 17, 2022, in the Challenge Cup, the previous latest goal in team history. In the Challenge Cup midweek, OL Reign instead relied on a goal from forward Jordyn Huitema and what was ruled on own goal after midfielder Jess Fishlock’s shot from forward Megan Rapinoe’s corner was redirected into the back of the net.

Chicago forward Penelope Hocking scored the first two goals of her professional career with a second-half brace in the win over the Current. Hocking, who was the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, is one of two rookies selected in this year’s first round to have scored in league play, along with No. 1 pick Alyssa Thompson. In league play, after just one open play goal by a member of the Red Stars in the club’s first two games, Hocking’s brace was accompanied by a goal from forward Ella Stevens in a commanding 4-2 win.

Match facts: OL Reign host the Chicago Red Stars to kick off the weekend’s action in a Saturday matinee at Lumen Field. The Reign are entering in off the back of two straight league wins, while Chicago enters after their own first win of the regular season last weekend.

The Reign dropped a narrow 1-0 defeat in Washington against the Spirit to start the year, but since then head coach Laura Harvey’s have won three straight in all competitions. First, there was a 2-0 away win at Gotham before winning the club’s home opener with one of the last kicks of the game against San Diego last weekend. Then, in the middle of the week, OL Reign won their first Challenge Cup match with a 2-0 shutout road win over Angel City FC, meaning the Reign have begun to find their groove quickly. In addition, dating back to last season, OL Reign has allowed just one goal over its last six regular season games, while scoring nine goals of their own in that time. The one goal conceded is the fewest in a six-game span of regular season matches in team history. 

On the other side, Chicago did not have a midweek Challenge Cup game to recover from and will still feel like progress has been made after a big 4-2 win over Kansas City at home last weekend. With forward Mallory Swanson out for a significant amount of time due to injury, Hocking was the one to have her name called and her brace to help secure the result meant she did not disappoint in her forward role. In Chicago’s only other road match this season, the Red Stars fell, 3-2, to San Diego and a last minute winner by the Wave. Chicago’s four goals against Kansas City were also the fastest four goals from the opening whistle the Red Stars have scored in a regular season match in club history.

OL Reign has lost just two of its 14 home games in all competitions against Chicago (W7 D5). Additionally, the Reign have scored multiple goals in four straight home games in the fixture (in all competitions), tied for the team’s second-longest such home streak against a single opponent in team history (7 straight vs. Spirit from 2014-2018). 

NBA Playoff Round 1 Game 3 Preview: Denver Nuggets (2-0) at Minnesota Timberwolves (0-2)

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NBA Playoff Round 1 Game 3 Preview: Denver Nuggets (2-0) at Minnesota Timberwolves (0-2)

The Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray had been anxious to make his postseason return.

The last two seasons, Murray was on the sidelines, recovering from a torn left anterior cruciate ligament, as the Nuggets appeared in the playoffs.

Through two games of the Nuggets’ current Western Conference first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Murray has made the most of his opportunity.

Denver is up 2-0 in the series, which continues with Game 3 on Friday in Minneapolis.

In the first two games, Murray is averaging 32.0 points and 6.5 assists with 5.5 rebounds. He is coming off a 40-point performance in the Nuggets’ 122-113 Game 2 win Wednesday.

It was Murray’s fifth game of at least 40 points in 35 career postseason games. In 410 regular-season games, Murray has just four games with 40 or more points.

The Nuggets are up 2-0 in a postseason series for just the fifth time in their franchise history.

While Denver has won each of their previous series after winning the first two games, only once have the Nuggets led a series 3-0. That came in the second round against the Dallas Mavericks in 2009 when they moved on with a 4-1 series victory.

Denver coach Michael Malone said he does not want his team to relent.

The Timberwolves have never won a series after falling into an 0-2 hole, although they have won Game 3 three times in five previous tries with such a deficit.

In Game 2, Denver jumped out to a 21-point lead before Minnesota came back to jump ahead 89-87 going into the fourth quarter.

Timberwolves’ guard Anthony Edwards said his team needed to take lessons from Wednesday’s loss and apply them quickly.

Edwards is coming off a 41-point performance in the Game 2 loss; he was 14 of 23 from the field and hit six 3-pointers in 10 attempts.

If Minnesota is to get back in the series, it will need a turnaround from big man Karl-Anthony Towns.

So far in the series, Towns is just 8 of 27 (29.6 percent) from the field, including 3 of 12 (25.0 percent) on 3-pointers.

Towns came into the playoffs shooting 54.6 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from 3-point range over the last six games of the regular season plus the two games in the NBA play-in tournament.

NBA Playoff Round 1 Game 3 Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1) at New York Knicks (1-1)

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NBA Playoff Round 1 Game 3 Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1) at New York Knicks (1-1)

The New York Knicks hotly pursued Donovan Mitchell in the offseason, envisioning the star guard as the player who could prompt a franchise revival.

Instead, the Utah Jazz traded Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and come Friday night, Mitchell will be cast in the role of villain when Cleveland and host New York battle in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

The teams split the first two games of the series as Mitchell averaged 27.5 points and 10.5 assists. He scored 38 points in Cleveland’s 101-97 loss in Game 1 and recorded 17 points and 13 assists as the Cavaliers prevailed 107-90 in Game 2.

The series moves to New York for Games 3 and 4 and Mitchell, a native New Yorker, is well aware it will be an unwelcoming atmosphere inside famous Madison Square Garden.

Mitchell averaged 31.8 points in four games against the Knicks this season but struggled with his shooting in two visits to meet the Knicks at New York. He averaged 23.5 points while shooting just 37 percent (17 of 46) from the field in those games, both losses.

The fifth-seeded Knicks went 3-1 in the regular season against the fourth-seeded Cavaliers and then stole homecourt advantage with the Game 1 win. New York will try to further re-establish itself Friday.

So Mitchell knows the pressure is on his team in Game 3.

Darius Garland also starred in Cleveland’s Game 2 win by scoring 26 of his 32 points in the first half.

New York will be looking to bounce back from a dreadful Game 2 performance, trailing by 20 points at halftime and ultimately by 29 points.

Forward Julius Randle felt the hype got out of hand after New York posted the impressive road victory in Game 1.

Randle wasn’t feeling so upbeat about being the recipient of a hard foul from Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen late in the fourth quarter of Game 2. Randle was speeding in for a fast-break dunk and Allen’s foul caused Randle to fall awkwardly out of bounds. He made the ensuing free throw to cut the New York deficit to 103-83 with 2:22 remaining.

Randle’s late presence in the game came into question after he recently returned from an ankle injury.

New York is hoping outside shooters RJ Barrett (6 of 25 in the series) and Immanuel Quickley (4 of 13) will find some rhythm in Game 3.

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