Off-Day Thread: April 30th
I'm sick of the company, Montreal and Tampa can go away now.
There are 10 different ways to be down 3-2 in a 7-game series, but the method the Ottawa Senators have chosen might be exactly what the doctor ordered. They now need to win back-to-back games – one at home, and one on the road – to pull off the legendary reverse sweep, sending the Leafs fanbase into an eternal depression, and Mitch Marner to the Western Conference, probably.
Hurricanes 5 - Devils 4 (2OT)
CAR wins 4-1
The first team to be eliminated from the playoffs unsurprisingly is the team missing their best player and half their D-corps. Huh. Despite being down 3-0 after 20 minutes, the Hurricanes proved once again why they've been a force to be reckoned with since 2019 – at least in the first two rounds, anyway. Sebastian Aho scored 4 minutes into double overtime on the power-play, and Jakob Markstrom's 49-save effort was ultimately in vain.
Golden Knights 3 - Wild 2 (OT)
VGK leads 3-2
Well, my hopes for this series depend entirely on the Battle of Ontario and beyond. I'd love to see the Sens slap some retaliatory tariffs on the Golden Knights in a Final after the Dadonov fiasco, but otherwise these guys can just disappear yesterday. Vegas outshot Minnesota 33-22, with 7 of those shots being faced by Marc-Andre Fleury after he replaced Filip Gustavsson (illness) mid-game. In what may be his last career game, he allowed the OT winner 4:05 into extra time to Brett Howden.
Oilers 3 - Kings 1
EDM leads 3-2
I may be tired of this matchup after four straight years but the Oilers certainly aren't. The Kings are their punching bag, whether it takes 5, 6, or 7 swings to delete them. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl both had assists, with Mattias Janmark scoring the game-winner 7:12 into the third period. Even with the loss, Darcy Kuemper (43 saves on 45 shots) had the higher save percentage (by 1%) over...Calvin Pickard? Is Stuart Skinner really that bad? Game 6 will take place in Edmonton and I actually can see a world in which the Kings extend the series. Because, you know...Calvin Pickard. Yeah.
Today's Games:
- Game 5: MTL @ WSH (WSH leads 3-1) - 7:00 pm EST (CBC, Sportsnet)
Today would be a great day for a Canadian team to be knocked out of the playoffs. How much do y'all think this sequence is still living rent-free in their heads?
- Game 5: FLA @ TBL (FLA leads 3-1) - 7:30 pm EST (Sportsnet 360)
On their last legs at home, can Tampa take advantage of a two-game suspension to Aaron Ekblad? Anyone else find it hilarious to hear Ekblad "contend that he didn't intend to strike Brandon Hagel's head" as they're showing his attempt to injure?
- Game 5: STL @ WPG (Series tied 2-2) - 9:30 pm EST (CBC, Sportsnet)
Home ice has truly been an advantage in this series so far, with both teams going 2-0 in their own building. The potential game-changer that could swing the series towards the Blues is Eric Comrie's games played total. I wouldn't start him in a playoff game over Connor Hellebuyck, but I definitely would've done so in more than 20 regular-season games. You'd think Comrie would have an .893 or something in those games but no! He's 9-10-1 with a .914%! I'd call the Jets paper tigers, but there's an obvious airplane joke in there somewhere.
