Day 6 of the Stanley Cup playoffs was full of surprising moments, good and bad.
The Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning are heading into dangerous territory as both teams are yet to earn a victory in their respective series. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues comfortably won their first game at home.
Here are the storylines from all four contests from Thursday.
Florida Panthers Defeat Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 (FLA Leads Series 2-0)
After a 6-2 loss in Game 1, the Lightning went through another discouraging defeat. This time, the Panthers shut them out 2-0 and snatched both games in Tampa Bay’s Amalie Arena.
While it’s not ideal to be down 2-0 in the series, the Bolts will play their next game on the road at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 19 shots the Lightning fired his way. Defenseman Nate Schmidt scored his third goal of the playoffs, which puts him tied for third in the NHL for goals with Pavel Buchnevich, Nathan MacKinnon and Adrian Kempe.
He had five goals in the regular season. Not even Schmidt can believe it, but he’ll take what he can get to help the team.
“I’m going to save my stick… make sure it doesn’t go anywhere,” Schmidt told reporters after the game.
Toronto Maple Leafs Defeat Ottawa Senators 3-2 OT (TOR Leads Series 3-0)
The Senators face elimination after the Maple Leafs defeated them in overtime for the second straight game.
This contest had a similar feeling to Game 2, where Toronto also won 3-2 in overtime. Even defenseman Simon Benoit was involved in the game-winner, taking a slapshot that beat Sens netminder Linus Ullmark with the help of a screen.
Despite being down 3-0 in the series, Ottawa is not lacking in belief that they can make a comeback.
“We are not going to lay down and go away. We are going to be ready to play,” Sens coach Travis Green said after the game.
Added Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk: “It's been done before, and I have the belief that it can be done again."
The Leafs’ power play and star players stay hot, with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner recording two points each. Marner now has six points while Matthews has five in three games.
Battle Of Ontario Has Turned Into The Battle Of The Big 4 — And So Far, The Senators' Stars Have Gone M.I.A.A bottom-six forward scored the overtime winner in Game 2 and a stay-at-home defenseman matched his season goal total with the OT winner in Game 3. But the reason why the Toronto Maple Leafs have a 3-0 lead in their first-round series against the Ottawa Senators has less to do with depth scoring and unlikely heroes — and more to do with which team’s stars have shone the brightest.
Minnesota Wild Defeat Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 (MIN Leads Series 2-1)
The Wild took the lead in the series against the Vegas Golden Knights in a complete performance. The Wild won 5-2 for the second straight outing, and as the underdogs, they’re giving the Knights a run for their money.
Kirill Kaprizov continues to lead the team to glory with a two-goal night. He’s now the NHL’s joint leader in points with Kempe, recording seven in three games.
This contest wasn’t a walk in the park against the 2023 Stanley Cup champions. Vegas made a valid push in the later stages of the match, drawing three power plays in the final frame.
However, Filip Gustavsson was Minnesota’s best penalty-killer, finishing the game with 30 saves and a .938 save percentage.
After the game, the Wild players credited the spirited crowd, who helped them push to their series lead.
“You can’t hear anything,” Gustavsson said.
St. Louis Blues Defeat Winnipeg Jets 7-2 (WPG Leads Series 2-1)
The Blues destroyed the Winnipeg Jets in Game 3. St. Louis had two standout players in this performance in terms of production in D-man Cam Fowler and left winger Pavel Buchnevich.
Fowler seized his opportunity ever since he was traded to the Blues from the Anaheim Ducks earlier during the regular season. In this game, he scored one goal and a career-high five points.
Buchnevich scored the first hat trick of these playoffs, with one tally on the power play.
Toward the end of the game, the Jets became physical and undisciplined. The Blues took advantage and capitalized on three power plays out of eight attempts.
Blues coach Jim Montgomery approved of the team’s performance.
“What I liked was our fierce, competitive attitude,” he told reporters. “Our start was incredible."
St. Louis has one more game at home on Sunday before heading back to Winnipeg to continue the series.
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