It was the outcome Jake Allen deserved.

The St. Louis Blues goaltender, who was by far the best player in Game 1, watched as star forward Vladimir Tarasenko crafted the game-winning play at the other end of the ice by somehow managing to get the puck through the Minnesota Wild defense and on to the sick of Joel Edmunson.

Allen made 51 saves on the night, allowing one goal to Zach Parise with 23 seconds remaining in regulation that sent the game to overtime.

For Edmundson, it was his first career overtime winner.

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Melker Karlsson sure rained on Edmonton's return to the playoffs party.

The San Jose Sharks forward sniped the puck past Cam Talbot to give his team a Game 1 win over the Oilers.

The Sharks trailed 2-0 after the first period, but came all the way back for the win while dominating the Oilers 44-19 in shots on goal.

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Jake Allen could not be beat, until he was.

The St. Louis Blues goaltender stood on his head for the majority of Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild, until Zach Parise scored with under 30 seconds remaining in the third period to send it to overtime.

Full marks to Mikko Koivu for that ridiculous touch pass that fooled everyone but Parise.

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Nothing to worry about it.

Despite dropping Game 1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Columbus Blue Jackets liked a lot about their game in the series opener.

The Penguins took the contest 3-1, despite being outshot 32-29. It was all Columbus in the first period, as the Blue Jackets put up 16 shots to the Penguins' three.

Things went the opposite way in the middle frame, with the Penguins leading the shot margin 16-4.

"I'm not worried about the team. This is why it's a series," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch after the loss. "We had some good minutes, even in the second period. I'm encourage. We lose the game, but I thought we did some good things. We'll get ready for Game 2."

The coach praised young defenseman Zach Werenski. The rookie blue-liner appeared in his first playoff game, leading all Columbus defenders with six shots. He finished third on the team with 25:19 in ice time.

"What can you say about it? He hasn't played ... a 19-year-old kid ... We lose the game, (but) I thought he put on a show," Tortorella said. "His determination ... I hope it rubs off on other people on our team. That was inspiring to me to see what he can do."

The Penguins carried a 3-0 lead into the third period, where Blue Jackets forward Matt Calvert broke the shutout bid by Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury.

Fleury was a late start for the game after Matt Murray sustained a lower-body injury in the pregame warmup. But the last minute change didn't throw the Blue Jackets for a loop.

"(Fleury has) been a starter in this league a long time and he's won a Stanley Cup," said Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky. "It wasn't like we were licking our chops and making a big deal about it."

The second game of the series comes Friday in Pittsburgh.

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Robbery.

That's the only way to describe what Jake Allen of the St. Louis Blues did to Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle during Game 1.

It might end up being the save of the playoffs when all is said and done.

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That's a no-no.

Montreal Canadiens blue-liner Andrei Markov was tossed late in Game 1 after spearing New York Rangers forward Rick Nash.

The incident occurred in the final minute, with the Canadiens down 2-0 and pressing to score.

Markov finished the night with a misconduct. It is unknown whether the incident will be reviewed by the NHL's department of player safety.

Game 2 of the series comes Friday in Montreal.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't quite done with Marc-Andre Fleury.

The team's longtime starting goalie basically lost his job around this time last year, when Matt Murray stepped in as an injury replacement and took the team to a Stanley Cup championship.

Fleury played the role of backup all season, and was thought to have made his final start as a Penguin in the regular-season finale, with Murray set to backstop another playoff run.

But instead of sitting on the bench wondering whether he'll be traded this summer or snagged in the upcoming expansion draft, Fleury was called upon as a late starter for Wednesday's Game 1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He proceeded to stop 31 of 32 shots in a 3-1 win, proving general manager Jim Rutherford right for keeping Fleury around as insurance.

Related: Penguins' Fleury starts Game 1 after Murray injured in warmup

That managerial decision was affirmed by head coach Mike Sullivan after the Game 1 win.

"(Fleury is a) good competitor, good pro, and he's a great teammate. It was (a) difficult year, but he handled it as well as anyone," Sullivan added.

To his credit, Fleury has indeed handled the situation with grace and class all season long, and was not fazed by getting the late call in Game 1.

"I just tried to approach it as a regular game and just be ready for it," Fleury said postgame.

The nature and extent of Murray's injury is not yet known, and it's possible Fleury returns to the bench for Game 2. But as long as he's in Pittsburgh, he'll do all he can to help the Penguins win another Cup.

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Vladimir Sobotka arrived just in the nick of time.

The St. Louis Blues forward potted the team's opening goal Wednesday in Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild.

Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin failed to clear the zone, with his pass intercepted by Blues forward Alex Steen, who shuffled the perfect setup to Sobotka.

Sobotka, of course, recently arrived to the Blues after spending the year in the KHL. He appeared in the final game of the regular season in St. Louis, scoring against the Colorado Avalanche.

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The streak is finally over.

Oscar Klefbom got the Edmonton Oilers on the board early in their playoff-opening game against the San Jose Sharks, beating netminder Martin Jones with a five-hole goal at 6:44.

Prior to Wednesday, the last Oiler to score in the postseason was Fernando Pisani, who did so on June 19, 2006.

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There was no easing 19-year-old Charlie McAvoy into the Boston Bruins' lineup.

Pressed into playoff duty after late-season injuries to defensemen Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo, McAvoy logged 24:11 of ice time in a Game 1 win over the Ottawa Senators, second only to Zdeno Chara (25:32) among all players.

The extra minutes came not only on the power play, but also in the absence of Colin Miller, who was forced to leave Game 1 with an injury of his own.

McAvoy certainly didn't seem to mind:

The young blue-liner also clearly earned the trust of head coach Bruce Cassidy.

It's been a whirlwind few weeks for McAvoy, who wrapped up his time at Boston University, had a brief stint with the Bruins' AHL club, and was then signed to an entry-level deal and called up to the NHL.

Based on his debut, McAvoy - who was drafted 14th overall in 2016 - appears to be in the Bruins' lineup for good.

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