Stanley Cup Playoffs April 27 2018 Review
Hellebuyck shines as Jets claim Game 1; Draft Lottery to be held Saturday; Lightning and Bruins set for Game 1
FRIDAY’S RESULT
The Jets rode a strong performance from Connor Hellebuyck to win Game 1 of their Second Round series vs. the Predators.
HELLEBUYCK SHINES AS JETS CLAIM GAME 1
Mark Scheifele scored twice and Connor Hellebuyck made 47 saves to help the Jets stifle the Predators in Game 1 of the first Second Round appearance in franchise history
Winnipeg earned a postseason victory in regulation depsite being outshot 48-19, the largest negative shot differential in a win since the Flyers defeated the Capitals in Game 5 of the 2016 First Round, a game in which they were outshot 44-11. The Stanley Cup Playoffs record for the largest negative shot differential in a win is 37 – Chicago beat Boston in Game 3 of the 1975 Preliminary Round despite being outshot 56-19.
Hellebuyck, who concluded Winnipeg’s First Round series against Minnesota with shutouts in Games 4 and 5, established a Jets/Thrashers franchise record for most saves in playoff game, eclipsing the mark of 37 set by Johan Hedberg in Game 2 of the 2007 Conference Quarterfinals vs. NYR and matched by Ondrej Pavelec in Game 2 of the 2015 First Round at ANA.
Hellebuyck’s 47 save-performance on the road is the most by a goaltender in a regulation playoff victory since Craig Anderson recorded 48 saves in Game 1 of the 2013 Conference Quarterfinals.
This is the second time in as many seasons where the team with the best record during the regular season faced off against the club with the second-best record (WSH vs. PIT, 2017 SR). There have been only three other such matchups in the last 30 years: DET vs. COL (1996 CF), NYR vs. NJD (1994 CF) and CGY vs. MTL (1989 F).
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
SNEAK PEEK AT SATURDAY’S ACTION
Saturday, Apr 28
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Matchup |
Time |
|---|---|
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Boston@ Tampa Bay |
3:00 PM ET |
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San Jose@ Vegas |
8:00 PM ET |
LIGHTNING, BRUINS SET FOR ATLANTIC DIVISION SHOWDOWN
The final series debut of the Second Round takes place on Saturday when the Lightning host the Bruins at AMALIE Arena in Tampa. The two teams battled for first place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference until the final game of the 2017-18 regular season, with Tampa Bay (54-23-5, 113 points) earning the top seed (BOS: 50-20-12, 112 points).
The Lightning and Bruins are meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time, with their lone other matchup occurring in the 2011 Eastern Conference Final. Tim Thomas stopped all 24 shots he faced and Nathan Horton scored the lone goal at 12:27 of the third period to lift Boston to a 1-0 victory in Game 7 at TD Garden. The Bruins then went on to capture their sixth and most recent Stanley Cup (4-3 W vs. VAN).
Boston went 3-1-0 against Tampa Bay during the regular season (TBL: 1-3-0), with its lone loss coming in the season finale April 3 (4-0 L at TBL). Bruins defenseman Torey Krug paced all players with 1-5—6 in the season series.
2018 NHL DRAFT LOTTERY TO BE HELD SATURDAY IN TORONTO
The 2018 NHL Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of selection for the first 15 picks in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft, will be held on Saturday in Toronto.
New this year, the results of picks 15 through 4 of the NHL Draft Lottery will be announced live during the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery show beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet, NBCSN, CBC, and TVA Sports. The remaining three picks will be revealed live on broadcast during the second intermission of the Golden Knights vs. Sharks game (8 p.m. ET, NBC, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports).
Three drawings will be made on Saturday: the 1st Lottery Draw will determine the club selecting first overall, the 2nd Lottery Draw will determine the club selecting second overall and the 3rd Lottery Draw will determine the club selecting third overall.
Sharks’ Kane Suspended One Game for Cross-Checking
San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has been suspended for one game for cross-checking Vegas Golden Knights forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare during Game 1 of the teams’ Second Round series in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 26. The incident occurred at 3:25 of the third period. Kane was assessed a major penalty for cross-checking and a game misconduct.
HALL, KOPITAR AND MACKINNON VOTED HART TROPHY FINALISTS
New Jersey Devils left wing Taylor Hall, Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon are the three finalists for the 2017-18 Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.”
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Hart Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 20, during the 2018 NHL Awards in Las Vegas.
Following are the finalists for the Hart Trophy, in alphabetical order:
Taylor Hall, LW, New Jersey Devils
Former Windsor Spitfire Taylor Hall ranked sixth in the NHL with 39-54—93 (76 GP), setting career highs across the board to propel the Devils to a 27-point improvement in the standings and their first playoff appearance since 2011-12. Hall recorded 41 more points than his next-closest teammate (Nico Hischier: 20-32—52), the highest such differential by a club’s top two scorers since 2007-08 (Alex Ovechkin: 112, Nicklas Backstrom: 69 w/ WSH). He collected points in 26 straight personal appearances from Jan. 2 – March 6 (18-20—38), a franchise record and the longest such streak by any player since 2015-16. Hall also set a club record with a 19-game point streak during that span (Jan. 30 – March 6: 13-13—26). The 26-year-old Calgary native and first-time NHL Trophy finalist is seeking to become the first player in Devils history to capture the Hart Trophy; goaltender Martin Brodeur finished third in voting in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2006-07.
Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings
Kopitar finished one point behind Hall in scoring (35-57—92 in 82 GP), nearly tripling his goal total and doubling his point total from 2016-17 (12-40—52 in 76 GP) to power the Kings to their seventh playoff berth in the past nine years. He became the first Los Angeles player to reach the 90-point milestone since 1993-94 (Wayne Gretzky: 38-92—130), also setting career highs in all three major scoring categories. Kopitar, who posted his first career four-goal game March 22 at COL, placed 31 points ahead of his next-closest teammate (Dustin Brown: 28-33—61), aided by a career-best 10-game point streak Oct. 26 – Nov. 16 (3-9—12). The 30-year-old Jesenice, Slovenia, native and two-time Stanley Cup champion is vying for his third NHL Award after winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy and Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2015-16. Only one player in Kings history has captured the Hart Trophy: Gretzky in 1988-89.
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
MacKinnon placed second in the NHL with 1.31 points per game (39-58—97 in 74 GP) to guide the Avalanche to a 47-point improvement in the standings, matching the fourth-highest year-to-year gain in League history. MacKinnon, who registered 16-37—53 last season (82 GP), increased his goal total by 23 and point total by 44 to lift Colorado from last place in the 2016-17 NHL standings to its first playoff berth since 2013-14. He did so on the strength of 12 game-winning goals, tied for the League lead as well as the most in franchise history (Joe Sakic: 2000-01). MacKinnon also notched 13 three-point performances, second in the NHL and the most by an Avalanche player since 2002-03 (Peter Forsberg: 14). The 22-year-old Halifax, N.S., native and 2013-14 Calder Memorial Trophy winner is vying to become the third player in franchise history to win the Hart Trophy, following Sakic (2000-01) and Forsberg (2002-03).
History
The Hart Memorial Trophy was presented by the NHL in 1960 after the original Hart Trophy was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame. The original Hart Trophy was donated to the NHL in 1924 by Dr. David A. Hart, father of Cecil Hart, former manager-coach of the Montreal Canadiens.