The NHL playoffs got off to a hot start last night with three great games. The Penguins put the smackdown on Philly, starting their series off with a huge 7-0 win. Sidney Crosby showed the world once again why he’s the best as he turned his third career postseason hat trick. Four other Penguins chipped in with a goal a piece as the Pittsburgh offense dominated the game, scoring 5 goals in the first half hour worth of game time. Philly pulled Brain Elliot and couldn’t get it going at all. Pens goaltender Matt Murray stopped all 24 shots he faced. The Flyers looked completely overmatched, this series might be over quicker than most thought. The defending champs are back firing on all cylinders after a slow finish in the regular season, and the rest of the league should be on notice.
Winnipeg outlasted Minnesota in their first game to take the early series lead. Minnesota scored twice early in the third to take a 2-1 lead but Patrick Laine scored just one minute later off a turnover to tie it up and Joe Morrow delivered the deciding goal halfway through the final period. This is the first playoff win in Winnipeg’s franchise history (entered the league in Atlanta in 1999). The Jets will look to capitalize on the momentum they built following the Laine goal which seemed to really demoralize the Wild.
In the final game of the night, Las Vegas took home the win in their series opener against the Kings. Shea Theodore turned in the game’s only goal just three minutes into the first and Marc Andre Fleury carried the Knights from that point on, stopping all 30 shots he saw. Vegas was able to control the pace of the game most of the night through a great forecheck. The Kings will have to find a way to break through if they want to compete in the rest of the series.
We’ve got another 5 Game 1’s to look forward to tonight. The Devils and Lighting will get under way in Tampa at 7PM ET. As will the Maple Leafs and Bruins from Boston. Washington will host Columbus for their series opener at 7:30PM. The Preds and Blue Jackets will get started in Nashville at 9:30PM and San Jose and Anaheim will round out the night, starting at 10:30PM. Enjoy another action-packed night and make sure to check back here tomorrow for more coverage.