Looks like @soIoucity is enjoying his first hockey game. #WeAllBleedBlue #stlblues pic.twitter.com/HAsJbu9MWn
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 4, 2016
Great seats at a playoff game make for a pretty good introduction to live hockey.
Anthony Holmes, who goes by Tony X. and @soIoucity on Twitter, had a terrific view for Game 3 of the second-round playoff series between his hometown St. Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars.
In case you're wondering just how close he was sitting, here's proof:
I really feel like i need a seatbelt on sitting this close. pic.twitter.com/2LrmUmZjbP
— Tony X. (@soIoucity) May 4, 2016
Holmes was invited to Game 3 after going viral while live-tweeting Game 7 of the Blues' first-round series against the Chicago Blackhawks.
His ongoing learning experience continued with an important observation made prior to Game 3 on Tuesday night.
It's not cold.....noted for future references pic.twitter.com/7WjfUqNsjz
— Tony X. (@soIoucity) May 4, 2016
The Blues showed him on the video board alongside a censored version of one of his most memorable tweets.
I can't handle this. pic.twitter.com/M1nPDgGvoy
— Adam Herman (@AdamZHerman) May 4, 2016
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After watching Brian Boyle score the overtime winner for the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 shortly after he crushed defenseman Thomas Hickey, New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said the hit should have been penalized.
Hickey nails Drouin...then Boyle nails Hickey and scores OT winner on same play. Questionable hit. pic.twitter.com/xFC8ud2sIG
— Pavel Barber (@HeyBarber) May 4, 2016
"It's a direct shot to the head," Capuano said postgame, according to Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. "Probably gonna be suspended for a game ... whole game shouldn't come down to that."
Boyle's hit came after Hickey took Tampa forward Jonathan Drouin out for an extended period of time with a punishing hit of his own earlier in the game.
Meanwhile, Lightning coach Jon Cooper wasn't too worried about his overtime hero facing any additional discipline:
Cooper on Boyle hit: "How many hits were in that game? 70? 80? There were 15 more hits in that game that were harder."
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) May 4, 2016
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Boyle scores the OT game winning goal #hockey - Streamable
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Brian Boyle scored an overtime winner exactly how you'd expect he would.
The Tampa Bay Lightning third-liner tallied in overtime Tuesday night, moments after laying a big hit on New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey.
Hickey leveled Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin with a big, clean hit earlier in the game.
Related: Drouin returns from injury to set up game-tying goal
The Lightning took a 2-1 series lead with the victory, temporarily regaining home-ice advantage in the second-round series.
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It looked like Jonathan Drouin's night might be over after he took a crushing hit from Thomas Hickey earlier in the game, but the Tampa Bay Lightning forward came back to save his team late in Game 3.
Related: Islanders' Hickey flattens Jonathan Drouin with huge hit
With goalie Ben Bishop pulled in the final minute, the 21-year-old picked up his seventh assist of the playoffs by setting up Nikita Kucherov, who scored his team-leading seventh goal to tie the game at four with 39 seconds remaining.
The game would remain tied through 60 minutes. Tuesday marked the Lightning's first overtime game of the playoffs, while the Islanders won all three games that needed extra time during their first-round series against the Florida Panthers.
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Nashville Predators head coach Peter Laviolette is shaking up his offense with his team down 2-0 in its second-round series, scratching veteran forward Mike Ribeiro for Game 3 against the San Jose Sharks.
Ribeiro recorded 50 points in 81 games in the regular season, but his struggles so far in the playoffs are hard to ignore:
Mike Ribeiro this postseason: 9 games, 1 assist, minus-3, 35 FOW%.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) May 4, 2016
Replacing him in the lineup will be 22-year-old forward Pontus Aberg, who will make his NHL debut Tuesday. He recorded 40 points in 73 games for the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals this season.
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Stray cat strut. @PredsNHL are hoping the "cat-on-the-ice" charm will bring them good luck tonight. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/B3Sey0dAc6
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 4, 2016
The cat didn't quite come back, but this is the next best thing.
The Nashville Predators' mascot, Gnash, channeled his inner "Joe Paw-velski" before Game 3 against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night, re-creating the black cat's Game 1 adventure.
The Sharks won the opening contest 5-2 and now hold a 2-0 series lead, so you can't blame the Predators for looking to capture some of San Jose's feline-related good fortune.
Copy cats. pic.twitter.com/OCdjiocU6P
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 4, 2016
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Hickey drills Drouin #hockey - Streamable
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Jonathan Drouin has been brilliant in Steven Stamkos' absence early in the playoffs, recording seven points in seven games. But the 21-year-old will hope he doesn't join his captain on the sidelines after being victim to a crushing hit in Game 3.
The Tampa Bay Lightning forward slowly skated to his own bench after being leveled by New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey.
Hickey wasn't penalized on the play. Drouin left for his team's dressing room soon after, but returned in the third period.
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Josh Bailey puts the Islanders up 1-0 in Game 3 https://t.co/tbae8ZFODW
— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) May 3, 2016
New York Islanders forward Josh Bailey missed the first two games of his team's second-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning due to an upper-body injury, but he wasted no time making an impact in his return to the lineup in Game 3.
The 26-year-old opened the scoring Tuesday, finishing off a feed from Nikolay Kulemin to beat Ben Bishop less than eight minutes into the first period and end a 21-game goalless drought dating back to March 15.
Bailey had just one assist and a minus-4 rating during the first round against the Florida Panthers, so Islanders fans will hope this is a sign of things to come from the winger.
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