Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Oilers try to even Western Final vs. Avalanche

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily in-depth look at the 2022 NHL postseason. There is one playoff game scheduled for Thursday, the 32nd day of the postseason.

On Tap

Edmonton Oilers at Colorado Avalanche (8 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS)
It could be another wild matchup between the two teams, who scored a combined 14 goals in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, with the Avalanche winning 8-6 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. Goalie Pavel Francouz will start for Colorado and replace Darcy Kuemper, who left at 7:19 of the second period of Game 1 because of an upper-body injury. Francouz allowed three goals on 21 shots in relief. Mike Smith will start for Edmonton; he was pulled at 6:20 of the second period of Game 1 after allowing six goals on 25 shots. With an assist Thursday, Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl can become the fifth player in NHL history with a double-digit point streak in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, joining Bobby Orr (11 games in 1972), Mario Lemeiux (10 games in 1991), Al MacInnis (10 games in 1989) and Bryan Trottier (10 games in 1981).

What we learned

Lightning lose their edge
The Tampa Bay Lightning didn't want to use their long layoff following a sweep of the Florida Panthers in the second round as an excuse, but the nine-day break between games showed from the start of their 6-2 loss at the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday. The Lightning held the Panthers' high-powered offense, which led the NHL by scoring 4.11 goals per game during the regular season, to three total goals in the four games by playing a patient, disciplined defensive game that limited Florida's rush chances and frustrated its top offensive players. But beginning with forward Chris Kreider's 2-on-1 goal that opened the scoring 1:11 into the game, Tampa Bay repeatedly made poor decisions with and without the puck that led to counterattack chances and odd-man rushes for New York. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (six goals on 34 shots) wasn't as sharp either, but the Lightning didn't give him much help. Tampa Bay will need to regain its defensive structure and patience to have a chance to even the series in Game 2 on Friday. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
The kids are all right
The Rangers' "Kid Line" arguably has been their most consistent forward line at even strength throughout their playoff run, and was their best line in Game 1 against the Lightning. Center Filip Chytil scored two goals 5:34 apart in the second period to give the Rangers a 4-2 lead. Alexis Lafreniere had two assists and Kaapo Kakko had one, the pass that set up Chytil for his first goal at 10:09 that made it 3-2. They're called the "Kid Line" because Chytil is 22, Kakko is 21 and Lafreniere is 20. They are New York's three youngest forwards and they've been together since Game 1 of the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Chytil is up to seven goals in 15 playoff games after scoring eight in 67 regular-season games. Lafreniere has nine points (two goals, seven assists) and Kakko has four points (one goal, three assists). Making up the Rangers' third line, each is a skilled forward with top-line attributes and created a matchup problem for the Lightning in Game 1. New York's top forwards -- Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin -- demand attention but the Kid Line continues to complicate matters for the opposition, as it has the entire postseason. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

About Last Night

New York Rangers 6, Tampa Bay Lightning 2
Chytil's goal to break a 2-2 tie was the first of four unanswered goals by the Rangers, who took a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Final. Zibanejad, Panarin and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and an assist for New York, which won a series opener for the first time this postseason. Goalie Igor Shesterkin made 37 saves, his third straight game with that many. For Chytil, his sixth and seventh playoff goals put him fifth in Rangers playoff history for postseason goals before the age of 23, behind Alex Kovalev (13), Ron Duguay (11), Don Maloney (8) and Don Murdoch (8). It was also the third game-winner Chytil has scored this postseason, having done the same in Game 5 of the first round and Game 6 of the second round.