Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 11: Vegas Golden Knights take care of Winnipeg Jets, become first team to win a series in 2023
Tampa Bay Lightning earn the chance to force Game 7 at home
Haunted by the demons of countless first-round failures and riding high off of a dramatic comeback win in Florida, Sheldon Keefe’s Maple Leafs took the ice for Game 5 all but frothing at the mouth. Their options? Win and shut up two countries worth of loudmouthed fans, or lose and return to Tampa for Game 6.
The Leafs were off and running when white-hot Morgan Rielly picked a corner off of a Ryan O’Reilly feed. The Lightning spoiled their fun 30 seconds later when Anthony Cirelli finished off a well-worked rush for his 3rd goal of the series. The recently-returned Michael Eyssimont deposited a soft goal under Ilya Samsonov in the second period before Nick Paul stretched the lead to 3-1 midway through the third. Auston Matthews made things interesting with 3 minutes left in the game, but an Alex Killorn empty-netter put an exclamation point on Tampa’s survival.
It was only fitting that perpetual playoff gamers Cirelli and Paul extended the series as Andrei Vasilevskiy refuted the recent rumors that he is, in fact, human.
Nick Paul just took the life out of Leaf fans pic.twitter.com/GayF0bwpYE
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 28, 2023As for Toronto, the narrative shifts from ascension to escape. After last year’s debacle against the same opposition, the last thing Matthews, Marner, and Co. want is to play a seventh game. To avoid that fate, they need to finish off Vasilevskiy and the most experienced playoff team in recent history on the road.
Toothless Rangers lose third straight, face elimination in Game 6
When Lindy Ruff pulled the rug out from under Vitek Vanecek, it seemed the 800-game winner was throwing spaghetti at the wall. Vanecek had started 52 regular season games, but was singled out for a pair of lousy team performances during which Ruff’s Devils lost by a combined score of 10-2 to the hated New York Rangers.
Turns out, there’s a reason Lindy Ruff has won 800 games. Since the Jack Adams contender threw 22-year-old Akira Schmid into the deep end, his men have won 3 straight games, including Thursday’s Game 5.
Akira Schmid tonight:
– 23-save shutout
– 2.46 goals saved above expected
Akira Schmid in the playoffs:
– 80 saves on 82 shots (.976 sv%)
– 6.21 goals saved above expected
He’s been the best goaltender so far in the NHL playoffs. He’s a 22-year-old rookie. #NJDevils
In New Jersey’s return to the Prudential Center, they built on their away successes to wallop the Rangers and move within touching distance of the second round. Schmid shut out a lost New York team that managed only 23 shots (2 in the final period). At the other end, reigning Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin was peppered by 42 attempts, including a wobbly Ondrej Palat effort that beat him 40 seconds into the contest. In the second frame, Erik Haula scored from within the Rangers’ crease before Dawson Mercer buried a two-on-one chance past a lonely Shesterkin to effectively end the game, which finished 4-0.
After two games, fans and bookmakers alike thought the Rangers had a chance at Stanley Cup glory. After five, they would be better off wondering about Gerard Gallant’s job security.
Vegas Golden Knights end Winnipeg’s season, continue to conference semifinals
After 11 days, the Stanley Cup Playoffs have finally produced a post-series handshake. The time-honored tradition came after the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights saw off the Winnipeg Jets at home on Thursday.
For the Jets’ part, they pushed the Knights with their size and physicality, but just as they could not stay in the race for the Central Division title, they did not have the horses to hang in this series. Winnipeg’s upset chances began and ended with Connor Hellebuyck; between the goal lines, the disparity between the teams was too great for the Jets to win fair and square. Injuries to stars Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey only exacerbated that issue.
After an edgy first four games, Winnipeg went out with a whimper in Game 5. Chandler Stephenson gave the Knights a first-minute lead that lasted the period before captain Mark Stone scored just as quickly to open the second frame. William Karlsson made it three into a wide-open goal before Stephenson doubled his tally on the power play to seal Winnipeg’s fate before the second intermission.
Defense to offense for the @GoldenKnights.
A spectacular save by Laurent Brossoit on one end allows Chandler Stephenson to extend the lead to 4-0 just 21 seconds later on the power play. pic.twitter.com/putHIZIWHA
Rick Bowness pulled Hellebuyck with 7 minutes to go in the game before Jets star Kyle Connor spoiled Brossoit’s shutout, but it was too little too late.
For Vegas, Brossoit’s emergence will be nearly as significant as the series victory. The 30-year-old had played in just a single playoff game before this postseason; his form could determine the shelf life of the Golden Knights’ title charge.