All four teams that skated away with a Game 1 victory on Monday night received an integral contribution from at least one unsung hero, from standout goaltending performances to impressive postseason debuts with a new franchise to overtime goals.
* A pair of players making their first career postseason appearance helped the Wild survive a double-overtime thriller with a Game 1 victory. Filip Gustavsson (51 saves) got the call in the opener for Minnesota, with three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury serving as his backup, and set a franchise record for saves in a playoff game. Ten goaltenders have made 80 or more saves across their first two career playoff appearances (since 1955-56), with two topping 100: Igor Shesterkin (106 in 2 GP w/ NYR from 2020 to 2022) and Jose Theodore (101 in 2 GP w/ MTL in 1997). His teammate Sam Steel (1-1-2), who waited 262 regular-season games before making his playoff debut, scored the game-tying goal and assisted on the overtime winner.
* Tyler Bertuzzi, who was traded to Boston on March 2 after spending the better part of seven seasons with Detroit, had 0-2-2 in his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut Monday. Should he notch multiple points again Wednesday, Bertuzzi would become the sixth player to record two points in each of their first two career playoff games with the Bruins, following Tyler Seguin (Game 1 & Game 2 of 2011 CF), Michael Nylander (Game 1 & Game 2 of 2004 CQF), Adam Oates (Game 1 & Game 2 of 1992 DSF), Barry Pederson (Game 1 & Game 2 of 1982 DSF) and Jean Ratelle (Game 1 & Game 2 of 1976 QF).
* Stefan Noesen was signed by the Hurricanes as a free agent prior to 2021-22 and played 70-plus games in a regular-season for the first time since 2017-18 (13-14-27 in 72 GP), while tying for second on the team with seven power-play goals. In Game 1, Noesen scored the game winner with the man advantage, the second Carolina power-play goal of the contest. It marked the first time in 21 outings dating back to the regular season that the Hurricanes scored multiple power-play goals in one game (4 PPG on March 5 vs. TBL).
* Alex Iafallo, who was signed by Los Angeles as an undrafted free agent exactly five years ago yesterday (April 18, 2017), capped his team's multi-goal comeback by playing overtime hero in Game 1. Iafallo is no stranger to big moments after reaching the NCAA National Championship with the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2016-17.