Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Dan Girardi's goal 3:18 into overtime Friday lifted the Lightning past the Boston Bruins by a score of 4-3, giving Tampa Bay the 3-1 series stranglehold.
Though the goal wasn't exactly pretty, and Girardi isn't really known for his offensive prowess, the series shifts back to South Florida with the Bruins on the brink regardless.
Game 5 goes Sunday afternoon from Amalie Arena. Puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m. ET.
The polarizing Boston Bruins super pest was at it again with the licking Friday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, this time getting in Tampa forward Ryan Callahan's face and licking from Callahan's lips to the tip of his noise.
Spitting on another player warrants a match penalty, yet Marchand continues to lick players at will. So, what do you think? Should the league discipline Marchand for his licking?
As each NHL season winds down, talented players commit to represent their countries at the IIHF World Championship. This year, a plethora of young, skilled forwards are set to make their mark on one of the biggest stages that hockey can provide.
Here are five young guns to keep an eye on once tournament action begins Friday in Denmark.
Kirill Kaprizov, F - Russia
Kaprizov, Russia's captain at the 2017 World Junior Championship, is already a proven performer on the international stage at only 21 years old. He also finished second in scoring for the Russian squad at PyeongChang 2018 with nine points in six contests, earning a gold medal in the process.
The Minnesota Wild selected the offensively gifted Kaprizov in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, but he's yet to play in the NHL, suiting up instead in the KHL over the last three seasons and registering 117 points in 179 games.
His contract with CSKA Moscow doesn't expire until 2020, so this might be the best chance to witness his tremendous talent and consistent production.
Tage Thompson, F - USA
The St. Louis Blues' first-round selection might have had a hard time adapting to the quickness of the NHL as a rookie, but Thompson has been an effective scorer in the AHL.
What Thompson may lack in foot speed, he makes up for with his soft hands and a wicked-fast release. The latter was on full display in his first NHL goal against Cam Talbot and the Edmonton Oilers:
Thompson is far from the flashiest player on our list, but he's still an exciting young prospect with great potential.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, F - Canada
Dubois has already started to make a name for himself in North American arenas, setting a Columbus Blue Jackets franchise record for goals by a rookie with 20 this season.
The physically gifted center has the versatility and skill set to also play the wing, and he can bring the body when needed.
Those strengths, combined with his superb offensive instincts and nose for the net, should help Dubois light up the worlds - especially if he gets the benefit of playing on a wing with an elite Canadian pivot such as Connor McDavid, Mathew Barzal, or Bo Horvat.
Elias Pettersson, F - Sweden
Potentially the most exciting player in the tournament who's yet to grace an NHL ice surface, Pettersson has been sensational in the Swedish Hockey League this season for the Vaxjo Lakers.
After being drafted fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 2017, he led the SHL in scoring with 56 points (24 goals, 32 assists) in 44 games, broke the regular-season record for points by a player under 20 years old, and also set the league record for playoff points by a U20 player.
Elias Pettersson scores the SHL Championship winning goal in style. 👀
If he keeps scoring goals like the one above, the 2018 World Championship will be Pettersson's coming-out party.
Martin Necas, F - Czech Republic
Necas' dynamic playmaking skills and explosive offensive capability should be enough to entice hockey fans to tune in for the Czech Republic's games over the next week or so. If it's not enough to convince you, though, perhaps his performance from the most recent WJHC is.
Necas tied American forward Casey Mittelstadt for the tournament lead in scoring, registering three goals and seven assists in six games.
After the Carolina Hurricanes drafted him 12th overall last June, Necas cracked their opening-night roster out of training camp. He only played in one game, but went on to tally a respectable 17 points in 24 contests while on loan to HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga.
Slick hands and sneaky speed make Necas worth keeping an eye on at the 2018 World Championship.
It's hard to begrudge Nashville Predators fans for wanting to get in a few jabs at Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien. He's been in beast mode all playoffs, establishing his physical presence while being one of the best players on the ice for Winnipeg.
So, naturally, Nashville fan Ben McGreevy started chirping Big Buff almost immediately after taking his seat at Bridgestone Arena for Game 2. However, he soon found out that the two Jets fans sitting behind him had a pretty special connection with the hulking Winnipeg blue-liner.
"I hear them laughing every single time I throw something at Byfuglien and finally, late in the second period, I stood up, and that's when I say, 'Byfuglien, you're the biggest piece of dirt on the ice!'
"And they just started dying at that," said McGreevy, according to CBC Sports.
After turning around to apologize to the couple, McGreevy learned they were closer to Byfuglien than he expected.
"I turn around, and I acknowledge the fact that (Byfuglien's) a good player and that's why I do it, and they stop and say 'No, no, no, we think it's awesome, it's hilarious - he's our son,'" Greevy explained.
That's right: The two committed Jets fans that made the trip down to Nashville were actually Byfuglien's mother and stepfather.
"I was honestly speechless. My words couldn't come out. I just started stuttering - I've just insulted someone's son for two hours right in front of their face," McGreevy said.
The couple took the trash talk in stride and shared a few laughs with McGreevy, even answering a fan's question from Twitter about how they raised such a strong and physically imposing hockey player.
McGreevy's next chance to heckle his favorite Jet comes Saturday when the series shifts back to Nashville for Game 5.
Winnipeg, Manitoba is rarely mentioned as a destination that needs to be on your vacation itinerary. But anyone who's traveled to the hockey-mad city to witness the hometown Jets take the ice at Bell MTS Place knows it's a true spectacle of sport - especially in the playoffs.
For everyone who couldn't make the trip to southern Manitoba, here are some of the best photos and clips from the Jets' 7-4 smackdown of the Nashville Predators in Game 3.
The game, the crowd, the atmosphere - Tuesday night was a special one for the Winnipeg whiteout.
Montoya has been on injured reserve since suffering a concussion Nov. 4. In four games this season with Montreal, he registered a 2-1-0 record to go along with a 3.77 goals-against average and .863 save percentage.
Once Montoya is healthy, he will add an element of veteran depth to Edmonton's crease, as the Oilers are currently using the unproven Laurent Brossoit as the No. 2 behind starting netminder Cam Talbot.
The condition on the pick in the Al Montoya trade: The #habs get a 2018 fourth-rounder if he plays seven more games this regular season.
Just when it looked like the Vancouver Canucks were starting to round into form as a potential playoff threat, the injury bug sunk its teeth into perhaps the team's most important player.
Vancouver is facing the harsh reality of playing the next four-to-six weeks without its top forward - Bo Horvat - as he'll miss at least the next month with a fractured foot.
Let's get one thing straight: Losing one player to injury should never determine whether a club is a playoff contender or not.
But, in the case of Horvat and the overachieving Canucks, there just isn't enough talent on the roster to replace a guy who does a lot more than fill the scoresheet.
Case in point, Alex Burmistrov slotted into Horvat's spot alongside Brock Boeser against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, and while his one shot and even rating weren't the reasons for the 4-1 loss, he simply isn't good enough to fill the void in Horvat's absence.
That goes for the rest of the group tasked with filling in for Horvat up the middle, as Sam Gagner, Markus Granlund, and Brendan Gaunce all leave something to be desired. That trio, who will be leaned on heavily by head coach Travis Green over the next few weeks, has only seven combined goals to go along with a crooked minus-13 rating, and were all nonfactors Thursday.
Killing penalties, scoring on the man advantage, winning faceoffs - Horvat really does it all for a Vancouver club lacking in depth at almost every position.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
That lack of depth is especially felt on the back end, where the Canucks employ a ragtag group of rearguards that includes Ben Hutton (minus-39 since the start of the 2015-16 campaign) and Michael Del Zotto (minus-10 with a Corsi For percentage of 45).
Now, the Canucks are far from being in the sweepstakes for the No. 1 overall pick and potential future Norris winner in Rasmus Dahlin. But, if the team starts to slide like expected, Green's men could find themselves in prime draft position for one of the three or four D-men projected to be in the top 10.
Realistically, the Canucks are too good to secure the top pick. But, Horvat was the straw that stirred the drink, and without him, Vancouver's weaknesses - such as a poor penalty kill that sits 19th in the NHL - will be magnified, especially with Brandon Sutter still on the shelf.
No disrespect to guys like Derrick Pouliot and Chris Tanev, who have performed admirably on the back end this season, and Boeser and Sven Baertschi up front, but without Horvat, the Canucks just aren't good enough to compete in the Western Conference.
With Horvat on the shelf for the foreseeable future, and the supporting cast unable to pick up the slack, an overachieving Vancouver squad is set to struggle.
The city of Seattle took its first major step toward securing an NHL franchise Thursday, and a potential local rival is more than willing to welcome it to the region.
Vancouver is just over a three-hour drive from Seattle, so naturally, the Canucks would align nicely as a team to build a rivalry with.
According to Vancouver's president of hockey operations, Trevor Linden, the Canucks are more than open to the idea of having another team nearby to stoke the competitive flames that come with playing against a club from the geographical area.
Asked Canucks president Trevor Linden about the possibility/idea of an NHL team in Seattle and he said his organization "loves it." Says Canucks fans would love it. Natural rivalry. Canucks fully in support of it.
MONTREAL (AP) Brendan Gallagher and Jordie Benn scored in the first period and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Tuesday night for their third straight win.
Max Pacioretty also scored for Montreal, which has gone 5-1-0 since starting the season 2-7-1. Goaltender Charlie Lindgren, called up from AHL Laval last week when Carey Price went out with a lower body injury, won his second game in a row and has won all five of his NHL starts over the last three seasons.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Erik Haula scored for Vegas, which ended a six-game trip 1-4-1. The Knights were coming off a shootout loss in Toronto on Monday night and were playing their sixth game in nine days.
The Canadiens outshot the Knights 13-2 in the opening period, but Vegas battled back and had a 31-28 edge for the game.
Tomas Plekanec won a race to a dump-in and fed Gallagher alone at the side of the net for his seventh goal at 8:24. Benn got his first on a point shot through heavy traffic at 10:55.
Vegas got one back when Bellemare deked past Jeff Petry and beat Lindgren from close range at 17:41.
Pacioretty was at the doorstep to redirect Petry's shot past Maxime Legace 3:31 into the second frame.
The Knights had Legace pulled for an extra attacker when Jonathan Marchessault fed a cross-ice pass that Haula one-timed into an open side with 1:17 left to play.
NOTES: Montreal center Jonathan Drouin did not play in the third period due to an upper body injury.
