Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Two Game 7s will complete first round
Rangers try to complete comeback against Penguins; Flames can advance with win at home vs. Stars
By
NHL.com @NHLdotcom
On Tap
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; TBS, SN360, SNE, SNO, SNP, MSG, ATTSN-PT)
The Rangers and Penguins meet in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round with New York trying to complete the comeback after trailing 3-1 in the best-of-7 series. The Rangers rallied for a 5-3 win in Game 5 at home and Game 6 in Pittsburgh. New York has won five of the past six Game 7s played at Madison Square Garden. They also defeated the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena eight seasons ago in a Game 7 to cap a similar comeback from down 3-1 in that second-round series. Sidney Crosby, who missed Game 6 with an upper-body injury, could return for the Penguins. Goalie Tristan Jarry, who has yet to play in this series and has been out with a lower-body injury since April 14, and forward Rickard Rakell, who was injured in Game 1, might also return for the Penguins.
Dallas Stars at Calgary Flames (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, TVAS, BSSW)
The Flames and Stars play Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round; the winner will play the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. The Stars avoided elimination with a 4-2 win at home in Game 6. They are 1-2 in Calgary this series and have scored three goals. Calgary is playing its first Game 7 since 2008, a 5-3 first-round loss to the San Jose Sharks. Dallas last played a Game 7 against the Colorado Avalanche in 2020, winning 5-4 to advance to the Western Conference Final. Flames coach Darryl Sutter is appearing in his 11th Game 7, but his first since winning three Game 7s on the road when the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2014. Sutter will set the coaching record for the most Game 7 appearances, passing Claude Julien, Mike Keenan and Mike Babcock. Sutter has won seven of his past 10 Game 7 appearances.
About Last Night
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Boston Bruins 2
Max Domi had two goals and an assist for the Hurricanes, who eliminated the Bruins with a win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round at PNC Arena. Carolina will play either the Rangers or Penguins in the second round. Teuvo Teravainen had a goal and an assist, and Antti Raanta made 27 saves for the Hurricanes. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin had two assists. Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak scored, and Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves for the Bruins. Charlie McAvoy had two assists. The home team won each game in the best-of-7 series.
Tampa Bay Lightning 2, Toronto Maple Leafs 1
Nicholas Paul scored two goals for the Lightning, who eliminated the Maple Leafs with a win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Arena. The Lightning, who forced the deciding game with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 6, will play the Florida Panthers in the second round. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 saves for the Lightning, who have won nine straight playoff series. Defenseman Morgan Rielly scored for the Maple Leafs and Jack Campbell made 23 saves. Toronto has lost its first playoff series in six consecutive seasons and hasn't advanced to the second round since 2004.
Edmonton Oilers 2, Los Angeles Kings 0
Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who eliminated the Kings with a win in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Place. The Oilers will play either the Flames or Stars in the second round. Mike Smith made 29 saves for Edmonton and Cody Ceci scored its first goal. Jonathan Quick made 39 saves for Los Angeles.
What We Learned
Point shows heart and hunger for Lightning
Coach Jon Cooper insisted the Tampa Bay Lightning would not be OK with losing Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round to the Toronto Maple Leafs just because they had won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. Center Brayden Point proved that. He fell awkwardly at the end of the first period, hobbled off in obvious pain, tried to play one shift early in the second and then doubled over in pain on the bench, with teammate Anthony Cirelli consoling him. But he stayed on the bench for the rest of the second, and he came back out to sit on the bench in the third. He was with his team to the end of the 2-1 win even though he couldn't play, setting an example and sending a message about what the playoffs mean to him and the Lightning. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Columnist
Maple Leafs lost, but not because of pressure
The Maple Leafs haven't won a playoff series since 2004, and they've lost in the opening round the past six seasons and been eliminated in a winner-take-all game the past five. But the reason they lost this series wasn't the pressure. They didn't play scared in Game 7. With the crowd behind them at Scotiabank Arena, they came out strong and outshot the Lightning in the early going 5-1. They fell behind 1-0 and had an interference call nullify a goal by John Tavares, and they kept battling. Morgan Rielly tied it 1-1. But on a night when they had a 73-45 advantage in shot attempts, they couldn't get the next goal, while the Lightning got their second of the night from a guy who had never scored in the playoffs before: Nicholas Paul. In the end, that was the difference. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Columnist
The end for Bergeron?
While Patrice Bergeron said it was far too soon to say whether this will be his final season in the NHL, the Bruins captain was emotional after the Game 7 loss to the Hurricanes and allowed that his future is uncertain. The 36-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent and has maintained that he will take some time after the season to figure out his path after 18 seasons in the NHL. "It's too early right now. It's too fresh right now," Bergeron said. "Obviously I'm going to have to think about it, but I'm not there right now." Brad Marchand, Bergeron's linemate for a decade, also fought back emotions as he allowed that the Game 7 loss was all the harder to take because it could be Bergeron's final game. -- Amalie Benjamin, Staff Writer
Unexpected heroes come up big for Hurricanes
In 19 games for the Hurricanes this season, after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a three-team trade March 21, Max Domi scored two goals. He equaled that number in Game 7 and etched his name into Hurricanes lore. The goals were his first two in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, having scored none in 10 games with the Montreal Canadiens in 2020 and the first six games this postseason. Domi wasn't the only player to come up unexpectedly big in this series -- see Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta -- but his performance in a win-or-go-home game was part of the whole-team approach Carolina was hoping for in this series. -- Amalie Benjamin, Staff Writer
Oilers figured it out
The Edmonton Oilers can do defense. They had a Mike Smith shutout with 29 saves, a lot of battles won and loose pucks gained through determined habits defensively, which helped them win Game 7 against the Kings. Jay Woodcroft said he coached the Oilers to hunt the game, and they did that by being aggressive throughout. It was a big step forward from the spotty consistency they showed early in the series, especially when they lost Game 1 at home. The challenge will only get tougher for Edmonton in these playoffs, but it's a foundational necessity that a defense-first focus can be summoned when required. -- Tim Campbell, Staff Writer
Kings pushed but it wasn't enough
The Kings gave it their best shot in Game 7 but didn't seem to have enough left in their tank to get the edge on the Oilers. Los Angeles looked worn out at times by the long series, and try as it did, there was no sustained pressure in the Edmonton zone throughout the game. That they didn't have a single power play in Game 7 was about right - the Kings simply didn't have enough jump to force the Oilers to take penalties. It was a disappointing night for the Kings, though they can hold their heads high with the progress they have made with a 99-point regular season and the team game they stubbornly stuck to in making it back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018. -- Tim Campbell, Staff Writer
