RADIO
Philipp Grubauer Allows Just One Goal In Game 5
1 month agoColorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer remained rock-solid in Friday's Game 5 against Calgary, saving 28 of 29 shots in a series-clinching 5-1 win. The German played a big part in the team's first series win since 2008, giving up two or fewer goals in four straight contests to finish things off. He has a 4-1-0 record in the series with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. The Avs will face either San Jose or Vegas in the next round. Grubauer lost his only appearance against the Sharks during the regular season and had a 1-1-0 record against the Knights.Source: ESPN
Mikko Rantanen, Colin Wilson Put Avs Through To Next Round
1 month agoColorado Avalanche wingers Mikko Rantanen and Colin Wilson both scored twice and had an assist in Friday's 5-1 win over Calgary, which sent the Avs through to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Gabriel Landeskog also scored, while Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie both had three assists. Rantanen, who missed the end of the regular season through injury, was in immense form against the Flames, collecting nine points in five games and scoring five times. Wilson had four points in the series. He started out slowly but found himself on the first power-play unit, which produced two goals in Game 5, so Wilson is in a good spot to enjoy more success in the second round.Source: ESPN
Auston Matthews Keeps Scoring In First-Round Series
1 month agoToronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews netted his fourth postseason goal of the year on Friday, helping the team beat Boston 2-1. Kasperi Kapanen, who registered an assist on Matthews' strike, scored the game-winner with his first goal of the playoffs, while David Krejci produced a consolation goal for the B's late on. Matthews, who also had a team-high five shots in Game 5, started the series with two pointless efforts, but he's since then scored in every game, bagging five points in total. His hot form has resulted in a three-game point streak for Andreas Johansson as well.Source: ESPN
Alex Ovechkin Scores On Power Play In Thursday's Loss
1 month agoWashington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin scored his second playoff goal of the season -- a power-play marker -- on Thursday against Carolina, but it turned out to be only a consolation goal in a 2-1 defeat. Dmitry Orlov and Lars Eller bagged the assists on the play. The Capitals captain was limited to only two shots in the game. After taking a 2-0 lead in the series, the Caps are suddenly in trouble after allowing Carolina to tie things up with a pair of home wins. The defending champs also lost T.J. Oshie (upper body) on Thursday. Ovechkin has to be on top of his game for the rest of the series to avoid an upset. He has four points, 13 shots and seven penalty minutes so far, scoring both of his goals with the man advantage.Source: ESPN
Petr Mrazek Stays Strong In Game 4
1 month agoCarolina Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek bagged his second consecutive win on Thursday, helping the team beat Washington 2-1 in Game 4 of the first-round series. Coming off of a Game 3 shutout, Mrazek allowed only an Alex Ovechkin power-play goal to beat him, finishing with 30 saves and a .968 save percentage. Mrazek has yet to win a playoff series in his career, but his personal numbers have been very good, and with Carolina managing to turn the tide in the series, there's a chance that the 27-year-old Czech will finally see some second-round action in 2019.Source: ESPN
Teuvo Teravainen Ties Series With Caps
1 month agoCarolina Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen scored the game-winning goal in Thursday's 2-1 success over Washington, leading to a 2-2 tie in the series. Nino Niederreiter and Sebastian Aho picked up the assists on the play. Teravainen gained a lot of postseason experience with the Blackhawks, so it's no surprise to see him popping up in key moments. However, it's not been the greatest of starts to the series by the 24-year-old Finn, as he only has two points. Warren Foegele and Jaccob Slavin lead the pack with five points, and they were both involved when Carolina opened the scoring inside the first 20 seconds on Thursday. Foegele netted his team-leading third goal.Source: ESPN
Dustin Byfuglien Continues Postseason Success With An Assist
1 month agoWinnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien made it six points in five games on Thursday, helping Kevin Hayes put the team up 2-0 in Game 5 against St. Louis. Big Buff now has five assists in the playoffs, trailing only San Jose's Erik Karlsson (seven) among defensemen. He's a plus-four in the series with 10 shots and surprisingly only two penalty minutes. Byfuglien is averaging 24:22 on the ice so far, but expect him to get a lot more burn on Saturday when the Jets try to fight off elimination. Adam Lowry also scored for Winnipeg in Game 5.Source: ESPN
Jaden Schwartz Caps Off Big Third-Period Comeback By Blues
1 month agoSt. Louis Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz finished a big third-period comeback in Game 5 against Winnipeg on Thursday, scoring the decisive 3-2 goal with 15 ticks remaining in regulation. The Blues were 2-0 down ahead of the final frame before things suddenly started to click. Ryan O'Reilly ended Connor Hellebuyck's bid for a shutout early on with a power-play marker and Brayden Schenn tied things up with a little over six minutes left. It's his first goal of the series and he also had an assist on O'Reilly's goal in the game. The Blues have now had nine different goal-scorers in the series with nobody getting more than two.Source: ESPN
Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith Score For Vegas In Game 5
1 month agoVegas Golden Knights forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith both struck on the power play in Thursday's 5-2 loss to San Jose with Colin Miller and William Karlsson assisting them on both occasions. The Sharks finally managed to contain Paul Stastny's line with Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, so Vegas needed offense from elsewhere and Karlsson's line was able to give it to them. It wasn't enough, though, and the series now goes back to Sin City on Sunday. You can't get far in the playoffs with only one line scoring, so another big performance is expected from Marchessault and the rest of the crew. The top line recorded 10 points and a minus-seven rating in the first five games.Source: ESPN
Martin Jones Looks Great In Elimination Game
1 month agoSan Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones gave up only a pair of power-play goals in Thursday's 5-2 win over Vegas, finishing with 30 saves and a .938 save percentage. Jones has had a very difficult series so far, but his performance in Game 5 should be an encouraging sign for the Sharks ahead of Sunday's Game 6. Their defense was also boosted by the return of Marc-Edouard Vlasic (undisclosed) on Thursday. He logged 23:43 on the ice and was a plus-one for the game. Despite his efforts in Game 5, Jones' numbers for the series remain ugly with a 4.37 goals-against average and a .866 save percentage.Source: ESPN
Tomas Hertl Helps Sharks Survive With Two Goals
1 month agoSan Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl ended a two-game point drought in the first-round series against Vegas with a pair of goals, helping the team survive for another day. He scored the team's first and fourth goal -- a power-play marker -- in an eventual 5-2 win. Barclay Goodrow tallied the game-winner, while Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski also scored. Erik Karlsson continued his good start to the playoffs with two assists. Hertl now has four goals this postseason, which has him tied for second place behind Vegas' Mark Stone (six). The Sharks will try to fight off elimination once more on Sunday.Source: ESPN
Mikko Rantanen Snuffs Out Flames In Overtime
1 month agoColorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen scored a power-play goal late in the third period of Game 4 against the Calgary Flames to force overtime, and then he registered the game-winning tally midway through OT on Wednesday night. The Avalanche now lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 with a closeout game coming up on Friday night in Calgary. Rantanen was blanked in the Game 1 loss in Calgary, but he has registered three consecutive multi-point games with three goals, six points and a plus-two rating.Source: ESPN
Philipp Grubauer Stops 35 Shots In Game 4 Victory
1 month agoColorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime victory against the Calgary Flames in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. He improved to 3-1-0 with a 2.10 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in the series, including a three-game winning streak in this series. The best-of-seven series shifts back to Calgary on Friday night, as Grubauer and the Flames will be looking to dispatch the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.Source: ESPN
Mike Smith Makes 49 Saves In Overtime Loss
1 month agoCalgary Flames goaltender Mike Smith allowed three goals on 52 shots in Wednesday's Game 4 overtime loss against the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. He has made 99 saves across the past two games, losing both starts. Smith was briefly shaken up when he was hit in the leg by a skate in the first period. He was checked by the training staff before being allowed to continue. The series shifts back to Calgary for Game 5 on Friday night, and the Flames are looking to stave off elimination.Source: ESPN
Ben Bishop Allows Just One Goal In Game 4 Victory
1 month agoDallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop allowed just one goal on 35 shots in the Game 4 victory of the Western Conference Quarterfinals on Wednesday night in a 5-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Bishop improved to 2-2-0 with a 1.98 goals-against average and .942 save percentage in the best-of-seven series, which shifts back to Nashville on Saturday afternoon in a nationally-televised contest. He has allowed two or fewer goals in three of the four outings in this series.Source: ESPN
