* Wyatt Johnston scored the double-overtime winner to join rare NHL company and power the Stars to a 2-1 lead in their First Round series.
* Cutter Gauthier got the go-ahead goal to cap the Ducks’ latest comeback win this season, while Trevor Zegras helped the Flyers forge a 3-0 series lead in the “Battle of Pennsylvania.”
* Gauthier and Zegras were two of nine players with their first career playoff goal Wednesday, which marked the NHL’s highest single-day total since April 17, 2014 (11).
* Thursday features the Bruins and Sabres shifting to Boston for a pivotal Game 3 as well as the Senators and Kings looking to cut their series deficit in half at home.
JOHNSTON SPARKS STARS RALLY, SCORES IN DOUBLE OT TO SECURE SERIES LEAD
After the Wild went up 3-2, Wyatt Johnston (1-1—2) spearheaded the Stars’ rally by factoring on Matt Duchene’s (1-1—2) tying tally in the final 10 minutes of regulation and then netting the game winner in double overtime a little more than 40 minutes later to lift Dallas to a 2-1 series lead.
* Johnston scored his sixth career game-winning goal in the playoffs and moved into a tie with Tyler Seguin, Joe Pavelski, Jamie Langenbrunner and Brett Hull for the sixth most in Stars/North Stars history. The goal marked Johnston’s second point of the game, making him the first player in Stars team history (since 1993-94) to record consecutive multi-point contests in the playoffs at age 22 or younger. Only one player has achieved a longer such streak with the franchise before age 23: Steve Payne (4 GP w/ MNS in 1981).
Gauthier, Ducks fly south with First Round series against oilers tied 1-1
Cutter Gauthier (2-1—3) generated the go-ahead goal with 4:52 remaining in regulation as Anaheim earned its first playoff win since Game 4 of the 2017 Conference Finals and pulled even versus Edmonton. The First Round series between the Ducks and Oilers shifts to Honda Center for Game 3 tomorrow.
* Gauthier (22 years, 93 days) became the youngest player in franchise playoff history with a three-point performance, besting the previous mark set by Paul Kariya (22 years, 182 days; Game 1 of 1997 CQF). Joffrey Lupul (22 years, 228 days; Game 3 of 2006 CSF) is the only other player with one for Anaheim at age 22 or younger.
* Alex Killorn (1-2—3) and Jackson LaCombe (0-3—3) also had three points for the Ducks. LaCombe is one of five players competing in the 2026 playoffs that can join the “Triple Gold Club” with a Stanley Cup win and tied the franchise playoff record for most points in a game by a defenseman achieved by Sami Vatanen (Game 1 of 2015 R1), Chris Pronger (Game 3 of 2008 CQF) and J.J. Daigneault (Game 2 of 1997 CQF).
* Killorn was signed by the Ducks on July 1, 2023, after winning Stanley Cup championships with the 2021 and 2020 Lightning. Killorn made his pro debut with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals in the midst of their 28-game winning streak during the 2011-12 season and concluded the campaign by capturing a Calder Cup alongside current teammate Radko Gudas.
FOUR FIRST-TIME GOAL SCORERS SEND FLYERS TO 3-0 SERIES LEAD
Trevor Zegras, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nick Seeler and Noah Cates all scored their first-ever goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, while Porter Martone extended his point streak to three games to propel the Flyers to a commanding 3-0 series lead. Philadelphia earned its first playoff win at Xfinity Mobile Arena since Game 4 of the 2016 First Round, when the venue was known as Wells Fargo Center, and own an all-time series record of 10-0 when leading 3-0 in a best-of-seven playoff round.
-23125810.png)
* Martone became the fourth teenager over the past 25 years to record a point in each of his first three career playoff games. He joined Kirby Dach (3 GP in 2020), Patrik Laine (3 GP in 2018) and Sidney Crosby (3 GP in 2007). The last player to post a longer run was Jeff Friesen in 1995 (4 GP).
Crosby climbing NHL’s all-time playoff points list featured in Live Updates
Wednesday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured more notes from the three-game slate, including Sidney Crosby collecting an assist to reach 202 career postseason points and pass Jaromir Jagr (201) for fifth place on the League’s all-time list. Crosby also hit 99 career playoff road points and needs one to become the third player in NHL history with 100, following Wayne Gretzky (164) and Mark Messier (139), whose totals include the suspended game during the 1988 Stanley Cup Final.
QUICK CLICKS
* NHL announces start times for Stanley Cup Playoffs 1st Round games on April 28
* Shane Gillis ‘ignites the orange’ before Game 3
* Vikings star Justin Jefferson hypes up Wild fans before Game 3
* ESPN open weekend with three most-watched playoff games on cable ever
* NHL on TNT opens playoffs with record viewership
SABRES, BRUINS BATTLE FOR SERIES LEAD WHILE SENATORS, KINGS RETURN HOME
Thursday’s slate features three Game 3s with the Sabres and Bruins battling for a 2-1 series lead at TD Garden, while the Senators and Kings also shift to their home rinks with their sights set on capturing their first win of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
* The Sabres and Bruins face a familiar scenario with the teams deadlocked at 1-1 through the first two games of their First Round series. Buffalo and Boston have faced off eight times previously in the playoffs, with the clubs splitting the first two games in five of those meetings. The Bruins won Game 3 in three of those five series, including the most recent instance (2010 CQF), while the Sabres’ last victory against Boston in that scenario came during the 1999 Conference Semifinals ahead of Buffalo’s most recent run to the Stanley Cup Final.
* David Pastrnak (1-4—5) logged a pair of assists in Game 2 and is tied for the lead among players with five points this postseason. He can become the seventh skater in Bruins history to start a playoff run on a three-game multi-point streak and first to do so since Jean Ratelle, Bobby Schmautz and Terry O’Reilly in 1977.
* The Senators face a 2-0 deficit in the First Round for the second straight year after battling back to force a six-game series against the Maple Leafs in 2025. Ottawa is 4-3 all-time in Game 3 at home when facing a 2-0 series deficit, while the Hurricanes/Whalers franchise is 3-9 all-time when trying to take a 3-0 series lead on the road.
* The Avalanche carry a 2-0 lead into Game 3 following consecutive 2-1 victories as Scott Wedgewood aims to become the first goaltender in franchise history to earn a win in each of his first three career playoff starts. Meanwhile, the Kings will try to claw back from a 2-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series for the fourth time in franchise history. They last accomplished the feat during the 2014 First Round against the Sharks (the fourth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 3-0) en route to their second Stanley Cup in a three-year span.
