Three teams entered play on Monday in danger of falling into giant 3-0 holes. Short-handed Minnesota showed tremendous grit to avoid that fate, and Los Angeles did what many were already expecting it to do in an overtime win at San Jose.
Only Philadelphia failed in its quest to win a series game — and the Flyers failed on so many other counts. Let’s get to Monday’s bests and worsts.
Three stars:
1. Alex Ovechkin, F, Washington Capitals: 2 goals, assist in rout of Flyers
2. Jason Pominville, F, Minnesota Wild: 2 goals, assist in win over Stars
3. Tanner Pearson, F, Los Angeles Kings: Game-winning goal in OT
Best game — Los Angeles 2, San Jose 1 (OT)
The Kings were thinking it. Fans were thinking it. Media were thinking it. The Sharks were surely thinking it.
San Jose had the Kings in a 2-0 series hole and had outplayed L.A. in Game 3, but L.A. goalie Jonathan Quick rose to the occasion and stymied five San Jose power plays. For the fourth time in a Game 3 between these teams, they went to overtime.
We’re not sure what Sharks forward Logan Couture was thinking as his man, Tanner Pearson picked up a loose puck at the Sharks blue line and circled back into the zone, but Couture over-skated his check, Pearson went in on a 2-on-1 with Vinny Lecavalier and he blew a shot through goalie Martin Jones’ 5-hole to draw L.A. within 2-1 in the series.
We said it before. The only way San Jose will shed its reputation of choking — deserved or not — will be to close out the Kings. Game 3’s result certainly won’t help steady the Sharks’ nerves.
Best individual performance — Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
There is no doubt about the greatest player in Caps history. Now he has the record to prove it. With two goals and an assist in Monday’s win over Philadelphia, Ovechkin became the franchise’s all-time leader in playoff points with 74, eclipsing Dale Hunter’s record.
Ovechkin has 74 points in 75 career playoff games. Only 32 players in the history of the game (minimum 30 games) have averaged a point per game in the playoffs. Ovechkin is on the cusp.
Best visual — Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks vs. Dustin Brown, L.A. Kings
One face wash deserves another.
Smellin’ gloves pic.twitter.com/NDNgf6az6Q
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 19, 2016
Best stat — Quick starts, failed finishes
All three games on Monday featured a goal in the opening minute of play. Dallas’s Patrick Sharp scored 26 seconds into the game against Minnesota, San Jose’s Joe Thornton scored 30 seconds into the game against Los Angeles, and Philadelphia’s Michael Raffl scored 57 seconds in against Washington. All three teams that scored first lost.
Best return from the dead: Minnesota Wild
The Wild is without star Zach Parise and forward Thomas Vanek. That’s 43 goals out of the lineup, and Minnesota only managed 216 this season — the fewest of any playoff team in the Western Conference. So imagine what happens when the Wild faces the NHL’s highest scoring team. Patrick Sharp had a pair of goals in the first 4:10 of Monday’s game and that looked like all she wrote for the Wild’s postseason:
Sharp's first goal 26 seconds in was a #mnwild record for fastest goal against to start a game
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 19, 2016
Not so fast. Chris Porter, Erik Haula, Jason Pominville amd Mikko Koivu scored four straight goals and Minnesota rose from the dead to beat Dallas, 5-3, and pull within 2-1 in the series with Game 4 on Wednesday in St. Paul. Minnesota has won Game 3 in six of its last seven series.
Props to the Wild for a gutty show of character.
Pominville said Torchetti challenged a "few of us" individually during a fiery first intermission #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 19, 2016
Worst looking injury — Brooks Orpik, Washington Capitals
With a little more than eight minutes left in second period, Philadelphia’s Ryan White travelled a long way to crunch Orpik along the boards in the Caps zone. Replays showed the hit was shoulder on shoulder, but a charge was certainly within reason on the unpenalized play.
The worst part was the aftermath. Orpik has a history of concussions and looked utterly lost and wobbly as he was helped up and off the ice. NBC analyst Pierre McGuire said: “he’s not responding to any commands right now as he skated by me.”
The hit that likely concussed Brooks Orpik pic.twitter.com/ycd3iQVjTx
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 19, 2016
Orpik after the hit. Was WAY out of it. pic.twitter.com/dJBfGDBMuA
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 19, 2016
Worst looking hit — Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Philadelphia Flyers
The Capitals’ defensemen were dropping like flies thanks to questionable Flyers hits. Dmitry Orlov’s numbers were clearly visible to Bellemare as he pursued him into the corner. That didn’t stop Bellemare from running Orlov from behind and knocking his head awkwardly into the glass. Bellemare deserves a suspension for this one, even though Orlov somehow escaped a significant injury.
Oh my god this is a HORRENDOUS hit pic.twitter.com/F4e9lymItF
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 19, 2016
Orlov’s face after the hit from Bellemare. Luckily wasn’t a lot worse pic.twitter.com/6zrETD3C1R
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 19, 2016
Of course, Philadelphia fans had to get in on the act by throwing their giveaway wristbands on the ice, despite pleas from PA announcer Lou Nolan to stop or risk a delay of game penalty.
A Flyers fan pelted Orlov with a bracelet after he was boarded pic.twitter.com/XkPYmwgJtz
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 19, 2016
It didn’t stop them, the Flyers were penalized and Nolan let them hear about it.
Fans give Flyers a bench minor for delay of game. "Way to go," says Nolan over the PA system.
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) April 19, 2016
Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds had perhaps the best reaction for the fans on the bench when he called them: “f***ing embarrassing.” Stay classy, Philly.
Best response to Philly’s classlessness — Washington Capitals
While the Flyers and their fans kept embarrassing themselves, the Caps just kept scoring, setting a franchise record for power-play goals in a playoff game with five. That is one short of the NHL record set by Boston in 1969 against Toronto.
Best quote — Caps coach Barry Trotz on the Flyers and their fans
“They weren’t interested in playing anymore, and so we ended up on the power play for the last seven or eight minutes. I just thought it wasn’t good for the game, plain and simple. We were on national television. I don’t think it displays our game very well.”
Best thing to look forward to Tuesday — Chicago-St. Louis Game 4
The Blackhawks were 70-0-3 when leading after two periods since the start of the 2014-15 season. Then they blew a 2-1 lead and lost 3-2 to St. Louis on Saturday, with star Patrick Kane taking the blame for his four-minute high-sticking penalty that led to Jaden Schwartz’s game-winning goal. St. Louis has had Chicago on the ropes before. Can the Blues close the deal?
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