If close games are your thing, you got a quadruple helping of goodness on Wednesday. All four NHL playoff games were one-goal affairs, and three of the four series ended with one team holding a 3-1 series lead over the other.
Let’s get to Wednesday’s bests and worsts.
Three stars:
1. Patrick Marleau, F, San Jose: Game-winning goal and assist in huge win over Los Angeles
2. Jason Spezza, F, Dallas: Game-winning goal and assist in win over Minnesota
3. Michal Neuvirth, G, Philadelphia Flyers: Stopped 31 of 32 shots in win over his former team, Washington
Best game: Take your pick
For a change, we couldn’t pick a clear-cut winner. Los Angeles and San Jose produced the highest level of play, Dallas and Minnesota offered the best back and forth action, Philadelphia fought off elimination and for a change, the Islanders and Panthers played a tight-checking game.
Best individual performance: Patrick Marleau, San Jose
Marleau takes a lot of flack for the Sharks’ past failures, but he came up big with San Jose in danger of letting L.A. even the series, scoring a goal with high degree of difficulty and adding an assist.
— Stephanie (@myregularface) April 21, 2016
Best visual: Brent Burns’ one-timer
This goal is a thing of beauty. Perfect no-look feed from Joel Ward; perfect timing and perfect puck placement by Burns.
Burns goal pic.twitter.com/infiTkxhGy
— Stephanie (@myregularface) April 21, 2016
Best stat: Jaromir Jagr, Florida Panthers
With an assist on Teddy Purcell’s goal, Jagr became the fifth player in NHL history to reach 200 playoff points.
It was the 122nd playoff assist for the 44-year-old Jagr, who joined Hall-of-Famers Wayne Gretzky (382), Mark Messier (295), Jari Kurri (233) and Glenn Anderson (214) – all members of the Edmonton Oilers’ dynasty of the 1980s – in the 200-point club.
Worst stat: New York Islanders
The Islanders have not won consecutive playoff games since 2002, when they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. They are 0-12 in their attempts since then.
Best show of character: Minnesota Wild
We disparaged the Minnesota Wild. For that, we apologize. What looked like a lifeless team in the opening minutes of Game 3 turned into the team we remember from past seasons.
Scoring challenged Minnesota never had much of a chance in this series without Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek. Instead of conceding that fact after an early 2-0 deficit in Game 3 threatened to drop them in a 3-0 hole, the Wild rallied for a win and had two leads on Wednesday before succumbing in Game 4. This series will end soon, but the Wild has already earned a large measure of respect.
Best performance by an old guy: Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers
At 37-years-old, Luongo has enough street cred to admit he’s tired and not worry about the perception. Of course, it helps when you stop 26 of 27 shots on the road to help your team even its series, as Luongo did against the Islanders on Wednesday.
Worst sight: Flyers forward Scott Laughton’s injury
The scariest moment of the postseason came when Laughton was taken off the ice on a stretcher with his neck immobilized with 3:49 remaining in the first period. Capitals defenseman John Carlson shoved Laughton deep in the Washington zone and Laughton crashed awkwardly into the boards behind the Capitals’ goal. He was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, but there was good news.
scary looking possible neck injury pic.twitter.com/F4Ox0BSLgz
— Stephanie (@myregularface) April 20, 2016
Laughton is staying overnight in hospital. All tests were negative.
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) April 21, 2016
Worst (or longest) review — Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders
With 10:45 left in the second period of Game 4, Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau thought he had scored to give Florida a 1-0 lead, but officials called it no-goal because Huberdeau had pushed goalie Thomas Greiss across the goal line with the puck. A review eventually upheld that ruling — and we do mean eventually.
This Huberdeau goal delay has been so long the #Isles may want to bring out the Zamboni.
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) April 21, 2016
According to the press box folks (OK, @Zeisberger ) that review took 9:20 to take care of. I will be forwarding this to my editors.
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) April 21, 2016
Best quote: Dallas coach Lindy Ruff on starting Antti Niemi on goal
“We’ve stayed with the program with both of them. We’re comfortable using both of them, and both these guys have done a real good job. The fact that (Kari Lehtonen) had gone out and won us a couple, we gave him the nod (to start the series), but I just felt with the workload, that it was the right time. (Niemi’s) energy in practice and work ethic and how he looked was, just comfortable putting him in. He gave us a great game.”
Best thing to look forward to Thursday: Blues-Blackhawks Game 5
Every game of this series has been a one-goal game and every game has offered some of the best hockey in this year’s postseason. St. Louis has the defending champs on the brink of elimination and Chicago will be without gritty forward Andrew Shaw, who was suspended one game for a homophobic slur uttered in Game 4. Do the Hawks have any magic left in the tank?
Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter
The post NHL Playoffs Roundup: Wednesday’s Bests And Worsts appeared first on Todays SlapShot.