A goalie battle, a boxing match, plenty of emotion, and more.
Here are some storylines we’re looking at as we gear up for another day of playoff hockey.
Can the Wild solve Allen?
Game 3 | Blues lead Wild 2-0
3 p.m. ET, Sportsnet
So far, Games 1 and 2 of this first-round series between the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild can be summed up in one tweet:
After a regular season that saw a bit of a roller-coaster stat line for the netminder, Jake Allen has stepped up his game. He made a whopping 51 saves in Game 1 and followed it up with 23 in Game 2, limiting the Wild to just two goals through two games.
The series has been low-scoring so far, with both games ending with a 2-1 decision. Considering the power displayed by the Wild throughout the regular season, few suspected they would be in dangerous territory so early in Round 1—especially when you consider the team finished second in goals for (263, behind only Pittsburgh) during the regular season.
And while we were all prepared for a battle of defence, Minnesota needs to find a way to solve the red-hot play of the Blues goaltender.
Emotions heating up in Columbus
Game 3 | Penguins lead Blue Jackets 2-0
6 p.m. ET, Sportsnet 360
We knew this was going to be a rough series, but Matt Calvert took it to a new level when he cross-checked and hit an unsuspecting Tom Kuhnhackl with less than a minute to go in Game 2.
Calvert had a hearing with the NHL Player Safety Department on Saturday, and has been suspended one game.
With bad blood continuing to brew between these playoff foes, you have to expect Game 3 to be an extra-emotional affair.
The Blue Jackets have been outscored 7-2 so far in this series and are clearly frustrated after 120 minutes of playoff hockey against their Metropolitan Division nemesis—so much so, that a local Columbus paper almost printed “Crying Crosby” masks for fans to wear to Sunday’s Game 3. (They thought better of the idea and cancelled the promotion on Saturday.)
Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has had an answer for just about everything the Blue Jackets have sent his way, with a combined 70 saves through two games.
Matt Murray, who stole the show during last year’s Stanley Cup-winning run, has missed the Penguins’ first two games after suffering a lower-body injury injury during warmups ahead of Wednesday’s Game 1.
No word yet on Murray’s status, but with Fleury’s steady glove so far, Pittsburgh’s crease appears to be in good hands.
Canadiens vs. Rangers getting rough
Game 3 | Series tied 1-1
7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet
This series gained a new level of excitement after a thrilling Game 2 that featured a melee and ended with Alexander Radulov’s overtime goal securing a Habs win. The action now heads to Madison Square Garden and the physicality of this matchup bears watching.
The teams have combined for a whopping 227 hits through two games and there’s no reason to believe the Canadiens or Rangers will let up any time soon.
To give you an example of how tough this series is getting, consider this: Canadiens winger Paul Byron, who measures in at five-foot-nine and 160 lbs., leads all players with 15 hits.
Pacific boxing match moves to Shark Tank
Game 3 | Series tied 1-1
10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet
“For me, playoffs is like a boxing match. You throw a jab, you take a jab, you throw one, and you kind of even out,” Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan said during a media availability on Saturday. “They’ve gone to their corner, we’ve gone to ours, everybody’s regrouping. You’ve got to start all over again.”
Two nights after the San Jose Sharks demonstrated why many hockey fans have them going back to the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers took their game up a notch for a 2-0 Game 2 victory to tie up the series 1-1.
Just as McLellan said, this one’s a boxing match.
The Sharks, however, have been without one of their offensive heavyweights in Joe Thornton. Things were looking optimistic for the veteran centreman to start the playoffs, but that return has been delayed due to lingering effects from a knee injury suffered on April 2. Whether or not he sits out for Game 3 remains a mystery.
Another injury situation to watch is Oilers blue-liner Oscar Klefbom, who went down after blocking a shot. He is expected to play.
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