Each quarterfinal series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has reached at least game three, and they have all expressed their own narratives. Some match-ups have seen order reign over chaos, while others have featured a strong surge by the underdog. So let’s take a look at some evaluations from each series after a full week of playoff action.
Anaheim Ducks (P1) vs Nashville Predators (WC1) – NSH Leads 2-1
Hello Music City. The Predators raised eyebrows after they opened the series by stealing both games on the road from Anaheim to take a commanding 2-0 lead over the preseason cup favorites. Nashville’s feared defensive line was too much for the Ducks to handle in the first two contests, with defenceman Shea Weber scoring the game winner for the Predators in the second contest. Equally impressive was that each of the first two games were come-from-behind wins for Nashville.
After a sluggish and undisciplined start to the series, Anaheim finally found some momentum with a 3-0 shutout victory in game three. Fredrick Andersen replaced a struggling John Gibson in goal to stop all 27 shots en route to the win. If the Ducks intend to storm back in this series, they will need more all-star like performances from Andersen in the coming games. Anaheim’s top scorers will also have to come back to life, as Ryan Kesler and Ryan Getzlaf have only tallied one goal each in the series, while top scorer Corey Perry has been blanked.
Los Angeles Kings (P2) vs San Jose Sharks (P3) – SJS leads 2-1
The Anaheim Ducks weren’t the only Southern California squad to go down 0-2 at home, as the Sharks stunned the Kings in the first two games of the series at Staples Center to take a 2-0 lead back to the Silicon Valley. San Jose goaltender Martin Jones outplayed Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick when it counted most, and center Joe Pavelski has shined for San Jose with three goals already in the series. Defenceman Brent Burns has also further solidified his campaign for the Norris Trophy thus far, scoring the opening goal of the series in game one.
Los Angeles would avoid going down 0-3 in San Jose when Tanner Pearson scored in overtime of game three to give the Kings a 2-1 victory, but Los Angeles has continued to look vulnerable in this series. The Kings only managed to score one goal in game two, and went nearly sixty minutes without scoring in game three before Pearson’s overtime winner. Of course Los Angeles knows a thing or two about comebacks against Sharks, but the Kings’ top skaters will need to do a better job of supporting Quick if they want to avoid being sent to the brink of elimination in this series in due time.
Dallas Stars (C1) vs Minnesota Wild (WC2) – DAL leads 2-1
The Stars dominated the Wild in game one with a 4-0 victory, which saw goaltender Kari Lethonen record his second career playoff-shutout. Dallas would extend the series lead to 2-0 after a game winning goal on one of the most bizarre bounces you will ever see in a hockey game, courtesy of Antoine Roussel.
Game three however was all Minnesota, overcoming an early 2-0 first period deficit to score four unanswered goals en route to a 5-3 victory, cutting the series lead in half and shifting the momentum towards the land of a thousand lakes. Minnesota’s offense has finally found its groove despite the absence of an injured Zach Parise, and the Dallas will once again be without star forward Tyler Seguin in game four after he reaggravated an Achilles tendon injury from late in the season. Dallas can take comfort in maintaining home ice for now, but things seem to be suddenly leaning in the Wild’s favor after a Stars series-win seemed inevitable early on.
St Louis Blues (C2) vs Chicago Blackhawks (C3) – STL leads 3-1
After three straight years of a first round exit despite having home-ice advantage, the Blues long at last have the opportunity to advance this week after sweeping games three and four in Chicago to take a 3-1 stranglehold lead over the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Goaltender Brian Elliot has exorcised his playoff demons in the series thus far, an effort that included a 1-0 overtime shutout in game one. Right winger Vladimir Tarasenko has also been a vital component of St. Louis’s success in this series, recording three goals through four games.
If the Blackhawks are to find their way back in this series that so many expected to go all the way to game seven, they will have to regroup after visibly letting their emotions get the best of them in game four (look no further than Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford dropping the gloves with Blues’ rookie Robby Fabbari). While defenceman Duncan Keith has been his usual playoff-self with three goals in the series, Patrick Kane and captain Jonathan Toews have gone MIA with zero goals through four games. If nothing changes between the two come Thursday night, Chicago may be booking tee-times far earlier than most critics anticipated.
Washington Capitals (M1) vs Philadelphia Flyers (WC2) – WSH leads 3-0
Nothing too extraordinary going on here. Philadelphia came into the playoffs on a tear, but the Presidents Trophy winning Capitals have not let off the gas one bit, dominating Philadelphia through three games to take a commanding 3-0 lead. The most recent contest ended in a 6-1 massacre of the Flyers, putting the City of Brotherly Love on the brink of elimination.
To put in perspective just how lopsided this series has been, MVP candidate Alex Ovechkin already has three goals in the series for the Caps. Goaltender Braden Holtby has only allowed two goals the entire series. Jason Chimera scored on Flyers goaltender Steve Mason from the other end of the rink. Could the red be rocking any more in our nation’s capital?
Pittsburgh Penguins (M2) vs New York Rangers (M3) – PIT leads 2-1
The back and forth affair between these two playoff rivals started off all Pittsburgh, with the Penguins taking game one by a lopsided score of 5-2. The Rangers would answer the bell in game two with a 4-2 victory that included a span of three New York goals in under five minutes, before Pittsburgh came into Madison Square Garden to snatch a 2-1 game three victory and series lead.
Sidney Crosby has tallied two goals for the Penguins through three games, as has center Derek Stepan for the Rangers. Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundquist exited game one due to an apparent injury, but has only allowed two goals apiece over the last two contests. New York will need a solid performance from King Lundquist if they intend to avoid dropping both games at home and take the series back to Pittsburgh tied at two.
Florida Panthers (A1) vs New York Islanders (WC1) – NYI Leads 2-1
The Panthers’ first playoff game since 2012 did not go as planned, dropping a high scoring affair to the Islanders by a score of 5-4. The southernmost team in the league bounced back in game two with a 3-1 victory, but squandered a two goal lead in game three to lose in overtime, 3-4, in the first playoff game ever played at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Florida has not struggled with scoring goals in this series, but goaltender Roberto Luongo has yet to find his groove, allowing 10 goals over three games – the most by any goalie in the playoffs thus far. A three goal second period in game three ended the Panther’s chances of regaining home-ice-advantage in the series.
For New York, captain John Tavares has been the leader that the squad has needed him to be, tallying two goals and four assists through three games. Center Frans Nielsen has also made an impact with two goals in the series thus far. If the two keep up their solid play, New York may be on its way to winning its first playoff series since 1993. That’s not to forget that Florida hasn’t won a playoff series itself since 1996 when they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. Regardless, someone’s drought will be ending within the next seven days.
Tampa Bay Lightning (A2) vs Detroit Red Wings (A3) – TB leads 3-1
The Red Wings may have qualified for the playoffs for the 25th straight season, but that means very little for the Motor City at the moment, as the 11 time Stanley Cup champions find themselves down 3-1 to the defending Eastern Conference Champions.
The Lightning bolted out of the gates to take a 2-0 series lead at home before dropping game three in Detroit 2-0. Just when momentum seemed to be shifting in the favor of the Red Wings however, Tampa gained it back when a late goal in game four propelled them to a 3-2 victory, giving them a commanding series lead heading back to the sunshine state.
Tampa Bay right winger Nikita Kucherov has been a nightmare for Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard in the series, recording a playoff-leading five goals through four games. Centers Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn have each recorded two goals.
Kucherov aside, finishing has been the Achilles heel for the Red Wings. Detroit was unable to hold on to a 2-1 lead during game one in Tampa, and the last minute collapse in game four may have been the dagger for the squad in this series, as they will now have to win three straight games to advance. Red Wings veteran center Pavel Datsyuk, who plans to retire after the end of the season, has yet to record a point in the playoffs. Unless Detroit pulls a miracle, it may very well be a quiet ending to one of the greatest careers in recent history for the Red Wings franchise.