The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
It was elimination day in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday and two of three teams punched their tickets to second round. The New York Islanders knocked out the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games and the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Sunshine State showdown against the Florida Panthers in six matches.
The Islanders will meet the Boston Bruins in the second round of the postseason, while the Lightning await the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators series, which Carolina leads 3-2.
The only team that managed to even their best-of-seven series and force a Game 7 was the Minnesota Wild. The 3-1 lead that the Vegas Golden Knights held in the series has evaporated. The two teams will meet on Friday with the winner heading to the second round to face the Colorado Avalanche.
Don’t forget, for everything NHL, check out NBC Sports EDGE’s Player News, and follow @NBCSEdgeHK and @CoreAbbott on Twitter.
PITTSBURGH 3 NEW YORK ISLANDERS 5 (Islanders win series 4-2)
The Islanders won a third straight game to finish their first round series against the Penguins.
Jeff Carter opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the postseason just 1:27 into the contest.
Anthony Beauvillier tied the game shortly later. He has three goals and one assist over a four-game point streak.
Jake Guentzel got his first goal of the playoffs on a Pittsburgh power play to restore his team’s one-goal lead.
Kyle Palmieri answered back just 13 seconds later with his third marker of the postseason and his first since he scored twice in Game 1.
Jason Zucker gave the Penguins the lead back just under two minutes into the second stanza. He also posted an assist.
Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock lit the lamp 13 seconds apart, as the Islanders took over the contest, and then Nelson scored again to give his team a 5-3 lead.
Beauvillier picked up assists on both of Nelson’s goals for a three-point performance. Nelson also added a helper for a three-point effort of his own.
Evgeni Malkin, Josh Bailey and Jean-Gabriel Pageau picked up two assists each, while Kasperi Kapanen, Cody Ceci, Kris Letang and Travis Zajac earned one helper apiece.
Tristan Jarry stopped 19 of 24 shots in the defeat.
Ilya Sorokin made a third straight start and won his fourth game of the postseason. He stopped 34 of 37 shots in the match.
Editor’s Note: Get an edge with our premium Betting Tools that are packed with live odds, betting trends, predictions, player prop projections, our extensive Edge Finder and much more. And don’t forget to use promo code WELCOME10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
FLORIDA 0 TAMPA BAY 4 (Lightning win series 4-2)
The Lightning bounced back from Monday’s 4-1 loss and eliminated the Panthers in six games in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Pat Maroon opened the scoring 6:16 into the first period and it held up as the game winner.
Steven Stamkos netted a power-play goal in the second.
Brayden Point added some insurance in the third on a highlight reel marker for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
Alex Killorn sealed the win with an empty-netter.
Stamkos added an assist in the match, while Nikita Kucherov and Erik Cernak contributed two helpers apiece.
Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev got on the scoresheet with an assist each.
Spencer Knight stopped 20 of 23 shots in the defeat.
Andrei Vasilevskiy turned aside all 29 shots he faced for his second career playoff shutout.
VEGAS 0 MINNESOTA 3 (Series tied 3-3)
The Wild forced Game 7 with a second straight victory over the Golden Knights. The series-deciding contest will be on Friday.
Ryan Hartman got the icebreaker 4:21 into the third period and it held up as the game winner.
Kevin Fiala picked up the primary helper on Hartman’s second goal of the postseason and then he scored his first goal of the series during a Wild power play.
Nick Bjugstad also got his first goal of the playoffs to round out the scoring.
Jared Spurgeon provided two helpers in the match, while Nico Sturm. Zach Parise and Mats Zuccarello picked up one assist each.
Spurgeon also had a game-high five blocked shots.
Shea Theodore had a game-high six shots and Nicolas Roy led the match with six hits.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 21 shots in the defeat.
Cam Talbot shielded 23 shots for his second shutout of the postseason. He blanked the opposition two times over 33 starts during the regular season.