The Minnesota Wild won't go gently.
The Wild climbed out of a two-goal hole in the third period Saturday to send Game 5 to overtime. The game-tying goal came courtesy of Jason Zucker, who displayed incredible patience in out-waiting Jake Allen before depositing the puck into the St. Louis Blues goal.
The goal was Zucker's first point of the series.
(Video courtesy: NHL.com)
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are inspiring hope around the NHL.
After finishing 30th overall last season, the upstart Leafs are in the process of giving the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals all they can handle in the opening round of the playoffs, leading Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets to believe his team could be next.
"We want to be that team,” Scheifele told Michael Traikos of Postmedia. "You see that any team can go on that run. You see that a team can go from last to the playoffs, and that’s something that we have to strive for. We can’t look at ourselves as young or inexperienced. Toronto did that and they’re just as young as we are."
The Jets finished seven points out of a wild-card playoff spot and 20th overall this season, but do boast a wealth of young talent on the roster and in the system, beginning with Scheifele himself, who averaged over a point per game this year.
He's immediately followed by Patrik Laine - selected one spot after Toronto's Auston Matthews in 2016 - who's in the running for the Calder Trophy, with Nikolaj Ehlers also coming off a breakout campaign.
For Scheifele, merely being in the running for a postseason berth isn't near good enough for the Jets.
"We have to believe in ourselves. Just missing out on the playoffs can’t be satisfactory. We have to be better than that."
First up for Scheifele will be a run with Team Canada at the upcoming World Championship in France and Germany, where he could very well enjoy the experience of winning.
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Minnesota Wild center Eric Staal was helped off the ice during the second period of Game 5 against the St. Louis Blues after crashing into the end boards following a scoring opportunity.
Prior to the start of the third period, the Wild announced Staal is alert and stable and has been taken to hospital for further observation.
Staal appeared to catch goalie Jake Allen's right leg, and lost his balance without being able to brace himself for impact.
Staal remained down on the ice for a few minutes before being helped off by medical staff and teammates.
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Artturi Lehkonen is making it easier for the Montreal Canadiens to stomach Max Pacioretty's struggles.
The Canadiens trail the New York Rangers 3-2 in their first-round series, but Lehkonen has scored twice in the last three contests, and he posted a pair of points in Game 5 on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Pacioretty led the Canadiens with 35 goals and 67 points in the regular season, but has been held goalless in all five playoff contests, while being limited to just a lone assist in the series.
That's why Lehkonen's contributions have been so vital for Montreal, which will be looking to stave off elimination in Game 6 on Saturday night.
The rookie notched 18 goals in the regular season, and that success has carried over to the postseason. He's now playing on the Canadiens' second line alongside Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher.
And Lehkonen is drawing rave reviews from his head coach.
"He’s just one of those players that keeps impressing all the time,” Claude Julien said Thursday, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.
“To me, he’s way ahead of his curve of development. Unbelievable hockey sense. Incredible poise. He’s one of those guys that if you came to watch a hockey game and didn’t know any of the players, you would never think this is a young guy in his first year.”
The Canadiens must have seen something other teams didn't when they selected Lehkonen with the 55th overall pick in 2013.
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The St. Louis Blues are welcoming Paul Stastny back to the lineup Saturday.
He's in for Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild after missing the last 14 games with a foot injury.
Stastny will skate on the top line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz, as he did in practice Friday.
He collected 18 goals and 40 points in 66 regular-season contests.
The Blues entered Saturday's game leading the first-round series 3-1.
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The Chicago Blackhawks' season is over, but Patrick Kane is still talking.
The star forward took a shot at the Nashville Predators' style of play at Chicago's postmortem session Saturday.
"A team like that, you kind of hope they don't win," Kane told reporters, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I don't know if that's necessarily the best way to watch hockey games."
Kane said Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville was calling the Predators' trapping system "Red Rover."
Nashville shut out Chicago in both of the first two games in what was a four-game sweep by the Predators, limiting the Blackhawks to only three goals in the series.
Kane scored one of those, in Game 3, and chipped in with an assist in Game 4, but both he and Jonathan Toews were essentially held in check by goaltender Pekka Rinne and the Nashville defense.
The Predators weren't a particularly dominant defensive team in the regular season, ranking 15th with 2.68 goals allowed per game. The Blackhawks came into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak and thus finished on an eight-game skid, with their last win coming March 31.
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The Boston Bruins prevailed in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Ottawa Senators in double overtime Friday night, but coach Bruce Cassidy still had a line ready about the Bruins' goal that was called back earlier in extra time.
"I guess I've been out of the league a long time. I didn't know you had to win by two in overtime," Cassidy quipped to reporters Saturday, according to Mike Loftus of the Patriot Ledger.
Noel Acciari appeared to score the game-winner with about five minutes left in the first overtime, but it was ruled no goal on the ice and that call was upheld upon review.
Bruins rookie Sean Kuraly's second goal of the game - and second of his NHL career - won it in double overtime, essentially rendering the controversy moot.
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Barry Trotz has a pretty morbid metaphor for the situation his Washington Capitals will be in on Sunday night.
"If you have the opportunity to push someone off the cliff, you want to push them off," the head coach told reporters Saturday, according to Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press.
The Capitals have the Leafs on the edge of the proverbial precipice, holding a 3-2 series lead thanks to Justin Williams' overtime winner in Game 5 on Friday night.
If Washington fails to send Toronto plummeting into the offseason abyss on Sunday, the Capitals will host Game 7 on Tuesday.
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Andrew Shaw will miss his first game of the playoffs on Saturday night.
The Montreal Canadiens pest is dealing with an injury and won't be in the lineup for Game 6 against the New York Rangers, Canadiens head coach Claude Julien confirmed after the morning skate.
Brian Flynn will appear in his first 2016-17 playoff game in Shaw's absence.
The Canadiens trail the Rangers 3-2 in the series, and they'll be looking to avoid elimination in hostile territory at Madison Square Garden.
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For a brief moment, Alex Ovechkin had something in common with many sports fans.
The Washington Capitals star said he was doing several relatable activities while in the dressing room for repairs after taking a big hit from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri late in the first period of Game 5 on Friday night.
"I was watching TV," Ovechkin said postgame, via Sportsnet. "Just (having) a Coke and watch(ing) the match."
Kadri was handed a two-minute tripping minor for the hip check that forced Ovechkin to take the brief trip to the locker room, and while the Capitals captain was in there, T.J. Oshie opened the scoring on the ensuing power play.
Ovechkin often appears superhuman, but sometimes he shows he's just like us.
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