O Boston Bruins opened the second round with a little revenge, and the New York Rangers are trying to remain undefeated.
Here are five things to know about Tuesday’s postseason action:
BRUINS ATTACKS FIRST
Jeremy Swayman stood on his head with 38 saves to help Boston defeat the Florida Panthers 5-1 in Game 1 of the second round series.
The Bruins temporarily exorcised some demons from last year when the Panthers staged a comeback from 3-1 in the first round to eliminate Boston after a record-setting regular season.
Boston received help from five different scorers on Monday, including Brandon Carlos. The Bruins defenseman spent the morning with his wife, Mayson, as she gave birth to their second child before flying to Florida and scoring to give Boston a 3-1 lead.
MAINTAINING PERFECTION
The New York Rangers look to extend their perfect start in Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
new York seeks the sixth consecutive victory after beating the Washington Capitals and defeating Carolina 4-3 in Game 1.
Netminder Igor Shesterkin has achieved victories in all five games so far. He could become the fourth goaltender since 2003-04 to record a six-game winning streak to open the postseason.
Carolina, meanwhile, is looking to get its special teams back on track after New York scored twice in 23 power-play seconds in Game 1. The Hurricanes were held scoreless on five occasions.
QUICK CHANGES
O Dallas Stars toppled the defending Stanley Cup champions on Sunday. Two days later, they face the 2022 winners.
After defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in a seven-game thriller, the Stars quickly move on to host the Colorado avalanche after a day of rest.
Meanwhile, well-rested Colorado haven’t played in a week after sending Winnipeg Jets packing five games last week. The towering Avalanche scored against one of the best defenses in the league with 28 goals in the series.
‘WE DON’T CARE’
The Edmonton Oilers have lost all four meetings against the Vancouver Canucks this season. But Lubricators star Leon Draisaitl insists they don’t care as the two teams prepare for their second-round playoff clash that begins Wednesday in Vancouver.
Three of those losses came under fired coach Jay Woodcroft during a disastrous start to the season for Edmonton. In their last loss last month, the Oilers were left without a superstar captain Connor McDavid.
The winner of the series will advance to the Western Conference final and will be the only surviving Canadian team.
BONES HANG THEM
After 2,726 games on the NHL bench over 38 seasons, Rick Bowness is calling it a career.
Bowness, Winnipeg’s coach the past two seasons, announced the decision Monday after the Jets fell to the Avalanche in the first round.
The 69-year-old from Moncton, NB, has coached eight different franchises and totaled more games as head coach, associate coach or assistant coach than any other player in NHL history.
Bowness is a first-time finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the league’s best coach.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2024.
The Canadian Press
