Lifting the puck over the forechecking Boston Bruins, Karlsson lobbed the perfect spring pass to Hoffman, who went with a one-handed backhand deke to beat Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask.
The tally marked Hoffman's first point of the postseason.
The Boston Bruins are getting some big help down the middle for Game 3.
Center David Krejci, who was listed as a game-time decision, was a full participant in the pregame skate and will indeed be in the lineup for the first time this postseason.
Through three games, McDavid has failed to pick up an even-strength point (he does have a short-handed goal and a power-play assist, though) and the Oilers have taken 30 penalty minutes.
"If we mapped out the first three games and had controlled McDavid and had almost five power plays a game, we'd expect a better outcome," DeBoer told Jason Gregor of the Edmonton Journal.
The Sharks are just 1-for-16 with the man advantage so far in the series. They were without Joe Thornton, who quarterbacks the power play from the half-wall, for the first two games of this series and 14 of those power-play opportunities. Nonetheless, a 6.25 percent success rate is unacceptable, especially against an Oilers penalty kill that ranked 17th in the regular season.
The problem has been their inability to solve Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot, who has reeled off two straight shutouts. For the Sharks, solving Talbot all starts with getting their power play back in sync.
After all, you can only keep McDavid quiet for so long. It's only a matter of time before he begins to single-handedly take over games.
Former NHL forward Bobby Carpenter and Denna Laing of the NWHL teamed up to complete an inspiring and potentially life-changing running of the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Carpenter pushed Laing - who sustained a spinal injury on Dec. 31, 2015, in the Outdoor Women's Classic as a member of the Boston Pride - over the course of the 26.2 miles in a racing wheelchair to benefit Journey Forward, an organization that works to better the lives of those with spinal cord injuries.
Congratulations to former NHL star Bobby Carpenter and NWHL player Denna Laing on completing this year’s race in 4:32:30! pic.twitter.com/jXlSvQGhu9
"At first I was a little hesitant just because I didn't know really how I was going to feel about sitting in a chair," Laing admitted heading into the race, per Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com. "But Bobby said that we would run for Journey Forward and, for me, to help that group out is a no-brainer. So I quickly got on board."
The pair has managed to raise over $81,000 for Journey Forward, well exceeding their goal of $53,000.
Carpenter, 53, had run the marathon once before on his own in 2016.
The defenseman, who's missed four games following a knee-on-knee hit from Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano on April 4, took to the ice for a skate Monday, but isn't sure whether he'll be able to return during the Ducks' first-round series against those same Flames.
In other words, he doesn't want to risk aggravating the injury, nor does he want to reduce Anaheim's chances of winning by playing while not fully healthy.
In regards to the Giordano incident, Fowler added, "It's something that's in the past. Honestly, I don't really want to get into the hit too much."
With the Ducks up 2-0 in the series and Fowler's timetable for return not quite set, he may not have to worry about facing Calgary or Giordano until next season.
If Cam Talbot didn't catch your eye in the regular season, he's about to.
Aside from that Connor McDavid fellow, Talbot is the main reason the Edmonton Oilers have found success in 2016-17, and his strong regular season performance has transferred into a terrific start in the early stages of the playoffs.
Talbot tied for the NHL lead in wins (42) and ranked top-10 among goalies with 50-plus starts in goals against average (2.39) and save percentage (.919).
Three games into the postseason - his first as a starter - Talbot has stymied the Sharks to the tune of back-to-back shutouts as the Oilers own a 2-1 series lead.
In Game 1, a contest Talbot single-handedly carried to overtime, San Jose fired 87 shot attempts in Talbot's direction in all situations, 61 of which were from a scoring chance location. In Game 2, the Oilers were out-chanced again, with the Sharks mustering 35 attempts at scoring opportunities. (Hockeystats.ca)
In Game 3, the Oilers gave him a bit of a break, controlling play through 60 minutes. Still, the 29-year-old netminder has been busy.
However, that doesn't seem to be a problem for Talbot, who started more games than any other goalie (73), and as a result faced more shots than anyone else (2,117).
Through 82 games, San Jose ranked fifth in the NHL in shot attempts for, so it's easy to assume Talbot's workload isn't about to ease up. Based on how he's handled himself this season, though, that might not be a problem.
Shockingly, the Blackhawks have managed to drop the first two games of the series at home - and without scoring a single goal.
The Blackhawks join an infamous group, becoming just the 13th team to be shut out in the first two games of a best-of-seven series. And the task of coming back seems a tall order when considering that none of those previous teams have gone on to win the series, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
If there is any hope to rally around entering Game 3, it's that the Blackhawks have gone 2-1-0 against the Predators in Nashville this season, outscoring them 10-8.
The Blackhawks' crusade to get back in the series begins Monday night.
That's because the Maple Leafs return to the Air Canada Centre after their first two games in Washington against the Presidents' Trophy winners and are not behind in the series.
In fact, one could say Toronto holds the edge for the time being, having muscled home-ice advantage away from the Capitals after a double-overtime win in Game 2 to knot the series at 1-1.
The Maple Leafs have shown over the first two games - both going to extra time - that they are at least going shot for shot with the Capitals, and as it stands now, this series looks as though it could go the distance.
The Capitals may still be the favorites, and they have certainly earned that distinction with their strong regular-season play, but the Maple Leafs are far from out of it. Here are three things that could swing the series in Toronto's favor:
Remaining disciplined
While the Maple Leafs have certainly held their own against this season's top club, the Capitals have feasted on the Maple Leafs with the extra skater.
Through two games, the Capitals boast the most successful power play in the postseason, firing at a 37.5 percent success rate. Their three power-play tallies also account for half of the team's total goals in the series.
The Maple Leafs have taken six penalties thus far. What hurts more is that at least two have come from a lack of discipline; the most notable being Martin Marincin's slash on Lars Eller that led to Alex Ovechkin's first of the series Saturday.
Toronto has outscored Washington 5-3 at even strength, so limiting the opportunities for the Capitals' power play appears vital.
Keeping those strong starts coming
What doesn't bode well for the Capitals in this series is that in both contests they've been chasing the game after conceding early goals.
An early Game 1 surge even saw Toronto take a 2-0 lead before the contest was 10 minutes old. Of course, the Capitals have rallied to tie the game on both occasions, but the extra pressure on the road could provide a different challenge for Washington.
Being forced to chase the game can create desperate play which often leads to more mistakes. Simply put, it's always better to have the lead than not, and the Leafs have been doing good job of getting out on the front foot.
Freddy staying steady
Whether or not you feel Tom Wilson's match-winner in Game 1 was a weak one to surrender, the fact is the Maple Leafs wouldn't have had a fighting chance in that contest had Frederik Andersen not made numerous spectacular saves leading up to that point.
Andersen followed up Game 1 with an even more brilliant outing in Game 2, turning away 47 of the 50 shots thrown his way. The 27-year-old is averaging 47 shots against per game, the most of any goaltender in the postseason.
All that said, it seems Andersen has done more than just keep pucks out of his club's net, as his stellar play appears to be driving the entire team.
"He was outstanding in game one and obviously, he was no slouch tonight," Morgan Rielly said of Andersen after Saturday's win. "He's been the backbone of this team all year, he's been outstanding night-in and night-out. ... His calmness is felt by all of his teammates.
"When we're out there playing and we know he's behind us, it gives us that much more confidence. Him as a person, he's calm, calculated, and quiet. I think that just translates to his play and what he's able to do to help this team is huge. The way he plays the puck is a big part of our breakouts and, again, he was outstanding tonight. He has been a big part of our team all year."
The Maple Leafs have a chance to pull off a major upset, but it likely won't come to pass without the continued play of their starting goaltender.
