Roundup: Sharks, Blues take overtime wins to open postseason
After 3,793 days without winning a playoff game, the Edmonton Oilers are going to have to wait a bit longer. Melker Karlsson scored a game-winning goal at 3:22 in overtime to steal home ice advantage for the visiting San Jose Sharks on opening night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Edmonton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, thanks to goals from Oscar Klefbom and Milan Lucic. But the Oilers were sloppy, committing six penalties and numerous turnovers, and San Jose scored twice over the final two periods in regulation to force overtime.
Martin Jones made 17 saves in the victory for the Sharks. Cam Talbot stopped 41 shots in the loss.
Here’s a look at the rest of the night’s playoff action around the NHL.
Full Recap | Box score | Highlights
Blues 2, Wild 1 (OT) | STL leads 1-0
Jake Allen stole the spotlight. He made 51 saves in a 2-1 overtime road victory for the St. Louis Blues over the Minnesota Wild. Allen made a ridiculous glove save while falling over late in the second period, but we’ll let you see it for yourself (just scroll down, you can thank me later).
Full Recap | Box score | Highlights
Who takes home the Stanley Cup? Here's what the analytics say
Rangers 2, Canadiens 0 | NYR leads 1-0
Raise your hand if you thought Tanner Glass was going to score the first goal of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs... Nobody? Didn’t think so. Glass had one goal in 11 regular season games this year. You know what they say, though: timing’s everything.
Full Recap | Box score | Highlights
Penguins 3, Blue Jackets 1 | PIT leads 1-0
Goalie Matt Murray suffered a lower-body injury during pregame warm-ups. Good thing Marc-Andre Fleury wasn’t traded at the deadline, right, Pens fans? He stopped 31 shots and backstopped the defending Stanley Cup champions to the Game One win.
Full Recap | Box score | Highlights
Bruins 2, Senators 1 | BOS leads 1-0
How happy are Boston fans to have Brad Marchand again? Fresh off his two-game suspension, Marchand netted the game-winning goal at 17:27 in the third period to snatch a victory for the visiting Bruins.
Full Recap | Box score | Highlights
Why each playoff team will win the Stanley Cup—and why it won't
Highlight of the Night, Part I
Highlight of the Night Part II
Three Stars
3. Melker Karlsson (SJ) Things didn’t look good for Karlsson’s Sharks heading into tonight’s series opener against the Oilers, not with injuries to key centerpieces in Joe Thornton and Logan Couture in addition to what felt like an avalanche of losses to end the season, but the Melk Man’s overtime-winner capped off a come-from-behind victory for San Jose.
2. Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT) One of the keys to a long postseason run is quality goaltending, and if Matt Murray (lower-body) misses an extended period of time, it looks like it won’t be the end of the world for the Penguins. Fleury made 31 saves in Pittsburgh’s 3-1 win.
1. Jake Allen (STL) If 51 saves, making the stop of the night and stealing home ice advantage don’t get you the First Star of the night, nothing will.