Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Stamkos, Kucherov sink Panthers into 0-3 hole
TAMPA, FLA. » Andrei Vasilevskiy is a not-so-secret key ingredient in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s recipe for success in the playoffs.
The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy recipient won his fifth straight postseason game Sunday, stopping 34 shots to help the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 and move to the brink of another trip to the Eastern Conference final.
“It all starts with him,” forward Nick Paul said after Vasilevskiy stood tall again in shutting down the highscoring Panthers, who had the NHL’s best record while averaging a league-high four goals per game during the regular season.
The Presidents’ Trophy winners have three goals in three games against the Lightning, who have a commanding 3-0 series lead and are within one victory of advancing to the conference final for the sixth time in eight years.
“There’s a whole ton of things that go into it,” coach Jon Cooper said of Tampa Bay’s defensive effort. But we’re committed to play D, and I think it’s helped in some of these times that we’ve had the lead . ... But we have a plan, and the guys are executing and playing hard, “Cooper added. “We feel like we’ve got a recipe going here, and we just have to stick with it. It’s hard, though, because they’re a hell of a team.”
Steven Stamkos scored two goals and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three assists for the Lightning, who are in the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons under Cooper.
Game 4 is Monday night at
Amalie Arena, where Tampa Bay has won three of four games this postseason.
Corey Perry got the Lightning off to a strong start with his 50th career playoff goal. Erik Cernak also scored.
“We’re down 3-0, so obviously we’re not happy with the results,” Panthers star Jonathan Huberdeau said. “But we’re playing probably the best goalie. He’s making some saves. We’re having chances. We’re not getting bounces, too, right now,”
Sam Reinhart scored Florida’s goal, snapping an 0-for25 start to the playoffs for their power play.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 31 shots. Kucherov and Stamkos added empty-net goals.
Shesterkin stars as Rangers take Game 3
NEW YORK » Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist and Igor Shesterkin stopped 43 shots as New York beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 Sunday in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series.
Chris Kreider and Tyler Motte also scored as the Rangers cut their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven matchup. Game 4 is Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
It was just the Rangers’ second win against Carolina in the teams’ last 10 meetings, dating to the the 2020 playoffs.
Nino Niederreiter scored for Carolina, and Antti Raanta made with 30 saves. The Hurricanes dropped to 0-4 on the road this postseason to go with a 6-0 home mark.
After Binnington injury, Kadri in spotlight again
DENVER » That water bottle tossed toward Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri hardly came out of nowhere.
For two straight postseasons, Kadri has been the agitator that makes Colorado go and the pest that drives the St. Louis Blues crazy.
In Saturday’s 5-2 victory, Kadri’s collision with Blues defenseman Calle Rosen ended with him in the lap of St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington, who left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury and is now out of the playoffs. Binnington was the most likely candidate among those who might have pitched a water bottle in Kadri’s direction while he was doing an oncamera interview.
The collision, the water bottle, the series-ending injury to Binnington — it comes a year after Kadri’s hit on Justin Faulk, which resulted in an eight-game suspension.