Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 8: Islanders, Stars win overtime thrillers

Saturday’s game slate featured two teams facing elimination, and two massive swing games in tight series. Both are recipes for some dramatic hockey.

And the eighth day of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs did not disappoint.

Barzal scores season-saving goal for Islanders in double-overtime win 

When the New York Islanders needed a win to save their season, it was leading scorer Mathew Barzal who delivered. 

After Stefan Noesen tied the game 2-2 with under six minutes left in the third period, Barzal tipped in Robert Bortuzzo’s point shot 1:24 into the second overtime. 

Barzal also scored the Islanders’ second goal to tie the game 1-1 in the second period and led all skaters with two points. 

Seth Jarvis scored his second playoff goal for Carolina, and Frederik Andersen finished with 32 saves and moved to 3-1 in the 2024 playoffs. 

New York went into Game 4 Carolina trailing the Hurricanes 3-0 in their first-round series. 

But thanks to an excellent game from Semyon Varlamov, who returned to the starter’s net after Ilya Sorokin was pulled early in Game 3, the Islanders overcame a 44-35 shot deficit for a 3-2 win. 

The victory means New York stays alive and pushes the series back to Raleigh, North Carolina. 

Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:30 ET. 

Lightning ride three first-period goals to force Game 5, stay alive against Panthers 

Speaking of staying alive in a Game 4 at home, the Tampa Bay Lightning used three first-period goals and elite performances from their top guys to defeat the Florida Panthers 6-3 and force a Game 5 in the series. 

Tampa Bay came out hot in this game. Within the first nine minutes, captain Steven Stamkos had them on the board with his fourth of the playoffs, and the Bolts took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission. 

But the game was far from over. 

After Florida cut the deficit to 3-1 early in the second, Brandon Hagel scored his second of the game off a pass from Mikhail Sergachev to restore the three-goal lead. Sergachev was a surprise insert into the lineup and skated in his first game since fracturing the tibia and fibula in his left leg on Feb. 7. 

Florida put up a fight, as they usually do. The Panthers scored the next two goals and made it a 4-3 game, but the Bolts were too desperate and eventually extended the lead out of reach in the third period. 

The best players led the way for Tampa Bay, with Hagel, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point each finishing with three points. Stamkos had a goal and an assist. 

Game 5 is scheduled for Monday at 7 ET. 

Bruins get massive Game 4 win to extend series lead to 3-1 against Maple Leafs 

Game 4 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins was a massive swing moment in the series. Boston led 2-1 after taking Games 1 and 3, and Toronto needed a win at home to avoid falling in the usually fatal 3-1 series hole.

But it was not to be.

Boston jumped all over Toronto early. The Bruins got goals from James Van Riemsdyk, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak to take a 3-0 lead into second intermission. Marchand set the Bruins’ record for career Stanley Cup Playoff goals (56), passing Cam Neely.

69-goal scorer Auston Matthews did not return for the third period and was ruled out for the game. He has been fighting an illness, according to Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe, and has been forced to take maintenance days at practice. 

Despite 25-year-old Joseph Woll coming in for the third period to replace Ilya Samsonov, who allowed three goals on 16 shots, the Maple Leafs comeback fell far too short. 

Mitch Marner did cut the deficit to 3-1 early in the period, but Boston killed off a late Toronto power play and locked it down the rest of the way to secure a massive win. 

Toronto has lost its past six home playoff games.

Jeremy Swayman was excellent (24 saves on 25 shots, .960 save percentage) in his second straight game for the Bruins after he and Linus Ullmark continued their season-long rotation in the first three games. Swayman won Games 1, 3, and 4 and is now 6-0 against the Maple Leafs this season. Ullmark started the 3-2 loss in Game 2. 

Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 ET.

Johnston gives Dallas new life with Game 3 OT winner 

The Dallas Stars had to win Game 3 to avoid dropping down 3-0 in the series. And against the Vegas Golden Knights, that deficit would likely be fatal. 

But Dallas did not go away quietly, despite some heroics from Vegas goalie Logan Thompson. 

The Stars dominated the first 30 minutes of the game, pumping 18 shots on Thompson in the first period alone. In the middle of the period, 20-year-old Wyatt Johnston finally beat Thompson with a backhand on a rebound to give Dallas just its second lead of the series. 

The Stars padded their lead early in the second when Miro Heiskanen finished off a perfect passing play with Evgenii Dadonov and Tyler Seguin. 

Despite the wide shot differential, Dallas could not extend the lead any further, and eventually, it came back to bite them. 

Brayden McNabb cut it to 2-1 just seconds into a 4-on-4 situation, and Jack Eichel ripped a short-handed wrist shot past the blocker of Jake Oettinger to tie the game only a couple of minutes later. Eichel’s goal came just after a massive pad save by Thompson on Roope Hintz. 

Thompson finished with a career-high 43 saves, many of which were high-danger scoring chances.

The third period yielded no results, but the Stars turned the heat up in overtime. They refound their game and after another handful of dramatic Thompson saves, Johnston was able to patiently wait for Thompson to drop down before sneaking a shot over his shoulder from the right of the crease off the rush. 

Johnston became the youngest player (20 years, 349 days) in franchise history to score a playoff overtime goal.

The Stars not only pulled the series to 2-1, but they also finally got some of the bounces they have needed so badly. This is a brand-new series.

Game 4 from Las Vegas is scheduled for Monday at 6:30 PT.