Poll: Will the Maple Leafs force Game 7?

We're about to find out what a bunch of hockey-playing millennials are made of.

The Maple Leafs host the Washington Capitals in Game 6 of their first-round series Sunday evening, with Toronto facing elimination after its second overtime loss - and third one-goal loss - of the series Friday.

The young Leafs have - to put it simply - played with the veteran back-to-back Presidents' Trophy winners, in what's been one of the more entertaining series of the playoffs' opening round. And if they can force a one-game showdown, all bets may truly be off.

So, will they?

While Toronto's thought to be playing with house money, and the Capitals looking to exorcise some serious spring demons, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock knows what his team needs to be Sunday.

"If we don't win, we go home," he said, according to the Associated Press. "There should be no more desperate team than us and we're well aware and understand that fully."

Special teams may be the difference, which means Toronto needs to play the game at even strength - and continue what it's doing:

(Courtesy: @IneffectiveMath)

Babcock's also going to need his goalie, Frederik Andersen, to have a night, because Washington is enjoying good times in the Toronto zone.

(Courtesy: @IneffectiveMath)

Game 7, if necessary, will be played Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET in the District.

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3 head coaches exact revenge on former teams with series clinchers

It was a day of retribution in the NHL's coaching community.

All three head coaches who won playoff series Saturday did so against clubs they used to work for.

Mike Yeo guided the St. Louis Blues to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Minnesota Wild, eliminating the team that fired him in February of last year.

Alain Vigneault led the New York Rangers to a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens, knocking out the organization with whom he spent parts of four seasons in his first NHL head-coaching job.

Todd McLellan helped the Edmonton Oilers move on to the second round with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks, who employed him for seven seasons before he joined the Oilers in May 2015.

Vigneault's triumph came on home ice, and he coached the Vancouver Canucks for seven years between his Canadiens and Rangers tenures, but the wins were likely a little sweeter for Yeo and McLellan, who ended their former teams' seasons in their old workplaces.

It's a long way off, but if the Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators can advance to the Stanley Cup Final, Barry Trotz would face the organization with whom he spent 15 campaigns as head coach from 1998-99 to 2013-2014.

If the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs reach the championship round, Randy Carlyle and Mike Babcock would both be battling their former clubs for a chance to lift Lord Stanley's mug.

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Watch: Sharks fans dump popcorn on Oilers in final seconds

Don't expect to get the confetti treatment in hostile territory.

San Jose Sharks fans showered the Edmonton Oilers bench with popcorn after Connor McDavid's empty-netter sealed Game 6 and eventually clinched the first-round series Saturday night.

It's too bad these Sharks supporters were so salty, but we're sure they'll feel butter soon.

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Watch: Oilers’ 2 breakaway goals make the difference in Game 6

The Edmonton Oilers can thank two defensive gaffes by the San Jose Sharks for their pivotal Game 6 victory.

The Oilers won their first series since defeating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in five games during the 2005-06 season. It was a tight game, and ultimately came down to a stretch of just 56 seconds early in the second period that saw Leon Draisaitl and Anton Slepyshev net breakaway goals.

The Sharks made it close with Patrick Marleau's late tally, but Connor McDavid had the last laugh, scoring his second of the series with less than a second left in regulation into an empty net.

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Oilers hang on to beat Sharks for 1st series win since 2006

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Leon Draisaitl and Anton Slepyshev scored on breakaways in the opening minutes of the second period and the Edmonton Oilers advanced to the second round of the playoffs with 3-1 victory in Game 6 over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

Draisaitl and Slepyshev each buried their chances for their first career playoff goals and the Oilers held off the Sharks after that to get the win in their first playoff series since getting to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. Connor McDavid iced the game with an empty-net goal with less than a second to play for his first even-strength point of the series.

Patrick Marleau got the Sharks on the board with 7:48 left in the third period, but Cam Talbot didn't allow anything else on 28 shots to get the win.

Edmonton will take a young roster led by NHL scoring leader McDavid and eight other skaters under the age of 25 into the second round against Anaheim.

The defending Western Conference champion Sharks had a quick exit this year in the playoffs as they never fully recovered after blowing a two-goal lead in Game 5 in Edmonton.

Martin Jones made 18 saves, but couldn't stop the two breakaways and the offense failed to deliver in what could have been the final home game for longtime Sharks greats Joe Thornton and Marleau. The 37-year-old forwards are both free agents this summer and it is uncertain whether the Sharks will bring them back for another run.

The Sharks nearly got the equalizer on a late power play, but Joe Pavelski's backhand attempt hit the cross bar and post.

This game turned in the opening minutes of the second period. It started when Oscar Klefbom blocked Justin Braun's point shot and Adam Larsson sprung Draisaitl on a breakaway. Draisaitl held off Braun and then beat Jones between the pads to make it 1-0.

After having no points in the first four games and getting ejected in Game 4 for a spearing penalty, Draisaitl played a big role in the final two wins with a pair of assists, including one on the OT winner in Game 5, and the first goal in the clincher.

Just 56 seconds later, Slepyshev got into the action when Paul Martin mishandled a pass from Chris Tierney at the point. Slepyshev raced to the puck and got in alone on Jones on the goal to make it 2-0 just 1:50 into the period.

The Sharks finally found their game after that and put on heavy pressure late in the second period, but Talbot made a nice save on Marleau in alone and Marcus Sorensen hit the cross bar on another chance.

After dominating the overtime in their Game 5 win, the Oilers picked right up from there and controlled the play in the opening period of Game 6. They had the decided edge in shot attempts and scoring chances but neither team was able to score.

San Jose's best chance came short-handed when Talbot stopped Melker Karlsson alone in front.

NOTES: Klefbom did not play the third period with Edmonton. ... F Joonas Donskoi returned to the lineup for the Sharks in place of Timo Meier.

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Wild’s Staal released from hospital

Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal appears to have escaped serious injury after a scary incident during Saturday's game.

The 32-year-old, who crashed headfirst into the end boards in the second period of Game 5, was transported to Regions Hospital and released soon after, the team announced.

Related: Wild's Staal taken to hospital after crashing into end boards headfirst

Staal was said to be alert and stable prior to being transported to hospital.

While he only managed one assist during the five-game series, he was vital to the team's regular-season success, pacing the team with 28 goals and finishing second with 65 points.

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Trade deadline mismanagement sealed Canadiens’ playoff fate

It was a tight series between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers, but in the end the club that was able to solve the opposition's netminder reigned victorious.

With a 3-1 Game 6 victory, the Rangers punched their ticket to the second round, leaving the Canadiens to wonder what went wrong.

It shouldn't take the club too much pondering to realize the biggest fault was that their offense dried up. It was an offense that sat in the middle of the pack during the regular season and one that, to general manager Marc Bergevin, didn't need upgrading.

Looking back, it became clear ahead of the trade deadline that the Canadiens' biggest need was more offense. Carey Price had been good most of the year, but made it clear he could - on occasion - be just really good instead of unbeatable.

He wasn't going to be able to solve all of the team's mistakes.

So the club needed to find goals, but rather than adding potential scorers such as Martin Hanzal or Patrick Eaves, the team elected to add size in Dwight King, Steve Ott, Andreas Martinsen, Brandon Davidson, and Jordie Benn.

Sure, adding Benn and Davidson was acceptable in that both helped out on the back end, but the forwards acquired are evidence of some head-scratching management.

The contingent mentioned above - and Nikita Nesterov, who was also acquired ahead of the trade deadline - combined for no goals and no points in the series.

The three forwards mentioned above only contributed one goal (by King) during their time with the Canadiens.

In fact, David Desharnais - dealt to the Edmonton Oilers for Davidson - has contributed a goal - in overtime - and an assist this postseason.

In the six games, the Canadiens averaged just 1.83 goals, the fourth-worst mark in the playoffs, with the Oilers being the only team below them still alive.

The onus will surely fall on captain Max Pacioretty, and rightfully so, as he failed to record a single goal, only posting a single assist in the series. However, the fact is the Canadiens' offense was in question long before the playoffs began and the team had adequate time to address it.

Sure, Hanzal's asking price may have been ridiculous, but in the end, Bergevin failed to improve the club as they made their march into the postseason and the results now speak for themselves.

No one's going to be able to hide behind a fern on this one.

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Canadiens’ Pacioretty bemoans ‘wasted effort’ after elimination

It wasn't supposed to end like this for the Montreal Canadiens.

After finishing atop the Atlantic Division standings, the Canadiens find themselves bounced from the Stanley Cup Playoffs after six first-round games against the New York Rangers, leaving captain Max Pacioretty with an empty feeling.

"We had a great opportunity to do something this year," he said, according to Frank Seravalli of TSN. "It feels like a wasted effort."

For his part, Pacioretty finished the series with zero goals on a team-high 28 shots, and knows he'll have to answer questions about his inability to score over what will be a longer-than-expected offseason.

Pacioretty added he'll discuss his play in the series more following the team's exit meeting, per Seravalli.

It was a tightly contested series, with no game decided by more than two goals. As to why and what needs to change, Pacioretty passed the buck upstairs.

Pacioretty exits this season with 10 goals in 38 career playoff games with the Canadiens.

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