From playoff series winding down to big-time moves off of the ice. Here are some of the latest NHL news and notes.
Jerks Tie It Up
Warren Foegele scored 17 seconds into the game, as the Hurricanes went on to hold off the Capitals 2-1. After Alex Ovechkin tied the game with a power play tally in the second, Teuvo Teravainen scored the eventual game-winner with 30 seconds to go in the period. Petr Mrazek held off a furious Washington push in the third, stopping 30 of 31 total shots. With the series tied at two games apiece, Game 5 is Saturday night in Washington.
Use the Schwartz
Jaden Schwartz picked a great time to score his first goal of the series. Schwartz tipped in a pass in front of the net to score with 15 seconds remaining, giving the Blues a 3-2 win and a 3-2 lead in the series. St. Louis trailed the Jets 2-0 after two periods following goals from Adam Lowry and Kevin Hayes. Then in the third, Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn evened things up before Schwartz won it near the end. Jordan Binnington made 29 saves in the win, as the Blues now have a chance to win the series in St. Louis on Saturday.
Still Swimming
After three straight fast starts from Vegas, it was the Sharks who started off with a quick goal. Tomas Hertl scored his first of two goals just 1:16 into the game, as the Sharks staved off elimination with a 5-2 win. In addition to Hertl’s two goals, Logan Couture, Barclay Goodrow, and Joe Pavelski each found the back of the net. Goaltender Martin Jones also improved, stopping 30 of 32 shots in the win. San Jose will aim to tie the series on Saturday with Game 6 on the road in Las Vegas.
The Return of Stevie Y
Steve Yzerman is returning to a franchise where his number 19 hangs in the rafters. Yzerman was named the general manager of the Red Wings, replacing Ken Holland, who will be named president of hockey operations. He has been a general manager before, spending eight seasons with the Lightning. During his time there, Tampa Bay made the Eastern Conference Final four times and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015. He’ll look to rebuild a Detroit team that finished 32-40-10 this season and has missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons after qualifying for the playoffs 25 consecutive times.
Boychuk Hits the Shelf
Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk will miss three to four weeks with a lower-body injury, general manager Lou Lamoriello said Friday. Boychuk was injured in the second period of the Islanders’ Game 4 win over the Penguins on Tuesday. Based on the timeline, Boychuk will be out for at least the team’s second-round series. The Islanders, who are in the second round for just the second time in 26 years, will face the winner of the Capitals-Hurricanes series, which is knotted up at two games apiece.
Oshie Has an Ouchie
The Washington Capitals are also dealing with the injury bug, as they will be without winger T.J. Oshie for “quite some time,” according to coach Todd Reirden. Oshie was pushed into the boards by Hurricanes forward Warren Foegele late into the third period Thursday, crashing shoulder-first. Oshie laid on the ice for several minutes and went directly to the locker room holding his arm. No further information has been made available as of yet. The Hurricanes won the game 2-1 to even the series at two games apiece. Game 5 is Saturday in Washington.
More playoff hockey continues tonight, with a pivotal Game 5 between the Maple Leafs and Bruins in Toronto and the series knotted up at two. Following that, the Avalanche will look to pull off another huge upset against the one-seed Flames in Calgary.