LIGHTNING SEND SERIES BACK HOME TO TAMPA
Michael Eyssimont had a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the host Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Thursday night to force Game 6 in their first-round playoff series.
Anthony Cirelli also had a goal and an assist, Nicholas Paul and Alex Killorn, into an empty net, also scored for Tampa. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves.
Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews scored for Toronto, which got 34 stops from Ilya Samsonov. John Tavares had two assists.
The Leafs still lead the best-of-seven series 3-2.
Game 6 goes Saturday in Tampa. Game 7, if necessary, would be Monday back at Scotiabank Arena.
Toronto, which has failed to advance in the postseason since 2004 and was eliminated by the Lightning in seven games in last spring’s first round, is now 0-10 since 2018 with a chance to eliminate a post-season opponent.
Lightning 4, Maple Leafs 2
Devils 4, Rangers 0: Erik Haula had two goals and an assist, Akira Schmid stopped 23 shots, and host New Jersey beat New York to take a 3-2 lead in its firstround series.
Dawson Mercer had a goal and an assist, and Ondrej Palat also scored to help New Jersey move one win away from advancing with its third straight win after losing the first two games at home. It was the first win by a home team in the series.
Schmid had eight saves in the first period, 13 in the second and two in the third for his first career postseason shutout while making his third straight start. He has stopped 80 of 82 shots he’s faced after Vitek Vanecek gave up nine goals on 52 shots in the first two games.
Igor Shesterkin finished with 39 saves for the Rangers, who have been outscored 9-2 over the last three games after a pair of 5-1 wins to open the series.
Leading by three after two periods, the Devils controlled play in the third with a dominant 18-2 advantage on shots on goal over the final 20 minutes.
The Rangers nearly got on the scoreboard but Vincent Trocheck’s poke attempt went off the left post and slid across the goal line. Schmid and Haula both punched the puck to the side and away from the goal with 6:25 left.
Golden Knights 4, Jets 1: Mark Stone had a goal and two assists as host Vegas eliminated Winnipeg in five games.
Wednesday’s late result
Kraken 3, Avalanche 2: Tye Kartye scored in his NHL debut and Seattle moved a win away from clinching their first playoff series after beating reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado. The Kraken take a 3-2 lead in the first-round series back home to Seattle, where they can advance tonight in front of their raucous home fans.