Nhl Playoffs: Capitals, Stars, Kings Earn Dramatic Wins On Same Night

The NHL likes to opportunity there’s nary amended play successful sports than nan Stanley Cup playoffs, and Monday nighttime nary 1 was arguing differently. Three of nan 4 games had awesome finishes and it’s only nan first round.

In Washington, D.C. nan apical seed Capitals and nan recently crowned all-time extremity scoring leader Alex Ovechkin had a precarious 2 extremity lead entering nan 3rd play against nan upstart Canadiens. Sure enough, during a 5-minute span midway done nan last frame, Montreal scored doubly to nonstop nan crippled into overtime.

The Capitals haven’t won a playoff bid since they won nan Stanley Cup successful 2018. Were they going to illness successful crippled one? Not pinch Ovechkin having an historical season. He scored nan crippled victor 2:26 into OT, his first profession playoff overtime winner, 2 goals and an assistance connected nan nighttime and nan Caps person a 1-0 bid lead.

Capitals guardant Tom Wilson said of Ovechkin:

“He’s a beast, he’s a machine, erstwhile he’s retired location creating power for our team, scoring, he does it all, he does everything for us, that’s what a leader does. It’s 1 point to beryllium bully each play agelong but nan guys that show up and deed and artifact shots and lead nan team, that’s why he’s a legend.”

About an hr later successful Dallas, nan Stars had their backs against nan wall successful crippled 2 of their bid pinch Colorado. Down 3-2 successful nan crippled and 1-0 successful nan bid they sewage a monolithic boost successful nan shape of a game-tying extremity from Evgenii Dadonov. That sent nan crippled into overtime.

It astir took nan full first OT but nan Stars are backmost successful nan bid aft Colin Blackwell scored nan first overtime crippled victor of his career, putting his ain rebound past Mackenzie Blackwood. The 4th statement halfway wasn’t getting overmuch crystal clip but was gladsome to lend Monday.

“I emotion this group, it’s been a hellhole of a twelvemonth and a batch of fun,” Black good said. “I’m conscionable excited to do immoderate I tin to thief nan squad win.”

The precocious crippled successful Los Angeles was a chaotic affair. The Kings took a 4 extremity lead connected nan Edmonton Oilers but nan subordinate they telephone Connor McJesus helped his squad rally successful nan 3rd period. Connor McDavid had a extremity and 3 assists and nan Oilers scored doubly successful nan last 2 minutes to tie, each pinch an quiet nett astatine nan different end.

It was each for naught arsenic they allowed Kings guardant Phillip Danault to people nan crippled victor pinch 42 seconds to go. LA is conscionable nan 4th squad successful Stanley Cup playoff history to triumph successful regularisation contempt blowing a four-goal lead. Danault’s fluttering changeable gave nan Kings a 1-0 bid lead.

Danault said:

“That was a small spot scary…There were ups and down large time, we were up 4 thing and they travel back. We cognize they person an violative instrumentality and we person to study from this and move on.”

The convention besides moves on. Tuesday nighttime is nan first crippled successful nan “Battle of Florida” betwixt nan Tampa Bay Lightning and nan Florida Panthers. If you thought Monday’s games were great, this bid is arsenic evenly matched arsenic tin be. They’ve met 4 of nan past 5 post-seasons.

But much impressive, successful nan past 5 seasons either nan Lightning aliases nan Panthers person represented nan Eastern Conference successful nan Stanley Cup Finals. Stay tuned, it’s a agelong measurement to spell earlier that happens again, and we’re almost guaranteed to person much precocious crippled drama. For Straight Arrow News I’m Chris Francis.