Jacob Slavin’s goal 3:06 into overtime gave the Carolina Hurricanes a 2-1 victory Tuesday over the host Washington Capitals in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup Playoff second-round matchup.
The defenseman’s first overtime playoff goal came on the Hurricanes’ 94th shot attempt of the game (their 33rd on net). Logan Stankoven scored his third goal of the postseason and Jesperi Kotkaniemi set it up. Jordan Martinook and Dmitry Orlov assisted on the game-winner.
Frederik Andersen made 13 saves in his first action since leaving in the second period of Game 4 of Carolina’s first-round series with the New Jersey Devils on April 27.
Aliaksei Protas scored his first career playoff goal for the Capitals, with Brandon Duhaime and John Carlson earning assists. Thompson, meanwhile, stopped 31 shots while under pressure all night.
Carolina set the tone in the first period, outshooting the Capitals 12-5. None went past Thompson, though, as just three of those came from near the net. Washington also blocked 15 shot attempts in the period and had 32 for the game.
Despite that control, it was the Capitals who struck first 3:52 into the second. Carlson cleared the puck from the Carolina attack zone and Duhaime was able to spring Protas, who skated along the boards and beat the drawn-out netminder on a wrist shot from the right circle.
Protas scored in just his second game back after recovering from a deep cut he suffered to his left foot in an April 4 game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The goal did not change the style of play as the Hurricanes continued to pepper shot attempts. They had 70 through the first two periods. However, it took a turnover near the Capitals’ net midway through the third period that allowed the Hurricanes to even the score.
Kotkaniemi got the puck after Capitals defenseman Alexander Alexeyev lost it in the left faceoff circle. The Finnish forward found Stankoven in the slot, and the 22-year-old, acquired in the Mikko Rantanen trade two months ago, capitalized on the Capitals’ mistake with 10:18 left in regulation.
Carolina won despite losing center Mark Jankowski, who sustained an undisclosed injury.
Jankowski, appearing in his third game of this year’s playoffs, was last on the ice with 4:42 remaining in the second period.
Edmonton Oilers rally past Vegas Golden Knights
Zach Hyman scored the go-ahead goal with 3:02 remaining and Connor Brown sealed the win 76 seconds later as the Edmonton Oilers rallied to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-2, in Game 1 of the Western Conference second round on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
Hyman buried a wrist shot from the slot past goalie Adin Hill’s glove side for the game-winner — his third tally of the playoffs.
Brown added his fourth goal when he deked defenseman Shea Theodore at the blue line, broke down the slot and fired a wrist shot past Hill’s glove side. That completed the Oilers’ fifth straight comeback victory in the playoffs.
Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist, Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard each had two assists and Corey Perry also scored for Edmonton, which had a four-game playoff winning streak snapped. Calvin Pickard finished with 15 saves.
Mark Stone scored both goals and Hill made 24 saves for Vegas, which had a streak of five Game 1 playoff wins snapped. Stone moved into a tie with Jonathan Marchessault for the franchise record with 36 postseason goals.
Vegas took a 1-0 lead at the 2:13 mark of the first period on a power-play goal by Stone. Vegas took advantage of an early double-minor penalty on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for high-sticking Tomas Hertl along the end boards.
The score came on a double deflection of Theodore’s point shot, which changed direction off the stick of William Karlsson and then deflected off Stone’s stick, clanged off the left post and went into the net.
Stone made it 2-0 midway through the period with a wrist shot from the low slot five-hole. It came off Jack Eichel’s pass.
The Oilers cut the deficit to 2-1 near the end of the period when Perry took a pass from McDavid by the left side of the crease and then wrapped a wrist shot around Hill’s left pad. It was his third goal of the playoffs.
Edmonton dominated a scoreless second period, outshooting the Golden Knights 12-1, but couldn’t take advantage of two power plays. Adam Henrique had the best chance to tie it, but his wrist shot from the high slot caromed off the crossbar.
The Oilers tied it 2-2 just 57 seconds into the third period when Draisaitl, behind the goal line, backhanded a rebound of Bouchard’s shot that banked in off the back of Hill’s right leg. It was his fourth goal of the playoffs.
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