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Montreal – Christian Dvorak broke a tie at 4:17 of the third period and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Washington Capitals 6-3 on Friday night to cut their deficit in the first-round series to 2-1.
Dvorak fired shot from the far left side that hit Washington forward Brandon Duhaime and deflected past goalie Logan Thompson. Juraj Slafkovsky made it a two-goal game with 6:37 remaining, with Capitals forward Dylan Strome crashing into Thompson on the play and injuring him.
Thompson put no weight on his left skate while being helped off, leaving his status Sunday night for Game 4 in Montreal in doubt. Montreal also lost its starting goalie, with goalie Sam Montembeault leaving in the middle of the second period because a lower-body injury.
Alexandre Carrier, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook also scored for Montreal. Montembeault stopped 11 of 13 shots, and Jakub Dobes madse seven saves on eight shots in relief.
Alex Ovechkin, Connor McMichael, Jakob Chychrun scored for Washington, with Ovechkin tying it at 3 at 2:29 of the third period.
Thompson stopped 30 of 35 shots. Charlie Lindgren made four saves in five shots.
At the end of the second period, a heated fight between Capitals forward Tom Wilson and Montreal’s Josh Anderson spilled into Washington’s bench.
After some pushing and shoving between Montreal defenseman Arber Xhekaj and Wilson with both benches empty, Anderson got involved and fell backward into the Capitals’ bench, which had the door open.
Wilson followed Anderson in and charged through a linesman toward the Canadiens winger while other Montreal and Washington players exchanged blows on the ice.
(At) New Jersey 3, Carolina 2 (OT): Simon Nemec scored 2:36 into the second overtime and New Jersey beat Carolina in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series.
Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer scored in regulation for New Jersey and Jacob Markstrom had 25 saves. The Devils cut their series deficit to 2-1 after losing the first two games on the road.
Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes, and Frederik Andersen finished with 34 saves.
Game 4 is Sunday back at Prudential Center, and Game 5 is Tuesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina.
(At) Edmonton 7, L.A. Kings 4: Evander Kane and Evan Bouchard scored in a 10-second span in the third period and Edmonton beat Los Angeles to cut the Kings’ series lead to 2-1.
Kane tied at 4 with 6:42 left on a wild scramble in front of the goal. It was ruled a goal after a review, and Los Angeles then challenged for goalie interference. The challenge failed, giving Edmonton a power play, and Bouchard put the Oilers ahead with 6:32 to go off a nifty feed from Leon Draisaitl.
Game 4 is Sunday night in Edmonton.
Bouchard and Connor Brown each had two goals and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Connor McDavid also scored. Calvin Pickard made 25 saves.
Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore scored Los Angeles. Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots.
Grand Rapids to face Texas in playoffs
The Grand Rapids Griffins will face the Texas Stars in the Central Division semfinals of the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup playoffs.
The best-of-five series will start on Tuesday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.
The Griffins will host the first two games with the series shifting to the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas, for scheduled games 3, 4, 5, if necessary.
Texas and Grand Rapids met eight times during the regular season, with the Stars going 5-3-0-0 against the Griffins, including a 2-2-0-0 mark at Cedar Park.
▶ Game 1: Tuesday, April 29 at Grand Rapids, 7
▶ Game 2: Monday, May 5 at Grand Rapids, 7
▶ Game 3: Friday, May 9 at Texas, 8
▶ Game 4: Saturday, May 10 at Texas, 8
▶ Game 5: Monday, May 12 at Texas, 8
Barkov may be available for Game 3
The Florida Panthers are waiting to see if captain Aleksander Barkov will be able to play Saturday when their playoff series resumes against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
This much is known: Brandon Hagel, the Lightning player that hit Barkov, won’t be out there.
Barkov missed the final 10:09 of the Panthers’ win in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series at Tampa Bay on Thursday night after taking a hit from Hagel. The NHL, late Friday night, said Hagel will be suspended for Game 3.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he has “two or three” different lineups in mind for Game 3, which is on the Panthers’ ice in Sunrise. Florida leads the series 2-0.
“He hasn’t been ruled out yet and he hasn’t been cleared,” Maurice said when asked if he had an update on Barkov’s status.
Barkov remained down on one knee briefly after the hit, then skated off and went to the Panthers’ locker room. He did not return. Hagel drew a 5-minute major for interference on the play and had a call Friday afternoon with the NHL’s department of player safety, which decided on the one-game suspension.
Maurice indicated that he did not expect the Panthers’ approach in Game 3 to be retaliatory in response to the hit.
“We made a pretty significant shift in how we approach games halfway through last year to become a very disciplined team and we can’t lose that,” Maurice said. “At the same time, we’ll play as hard as we possibly can and we have a style of play that we want to adhere to.”
Barkov has played in all 73 of Florida’s playoff games since he joined the club. He is Florida’s all-time leader in playoff appearances, assists (43), points (62) and is tied for third in goals (19).
“He’s a strong guy,” Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said. “It’s the playoffs. Those things are going to happen. He’ll bounce back and we’ll bounce back as a team.”
Benn, Seguin contributing big goals
Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin shared a brief, light-hearted moment in the locker room after Game 3. Just a pair of 30-somethings for the Dallas Stars chuckling over the fact that both scored in a 2-1 overtime win.
“Jamie said, ‘The old guys are still getting it done,’” Seguin recalled Friday after practice. “I said, ‘I’m not that old.’”
For these longtime stalwarts, age remains just a number – Benn, the captain, is 35 and Seguin 33. They’ve been the backbone of the Stars for a long, long time and have helped Dallas take a 2-1 playoff series lead over Colorado heading into Game 4 on Saturday night.
“We’re obviously the ‘old-er’ guys in here – a lot of pride, been here for so long together,” Seguin said. “Just want to continue doing what we can to keep advancing.”
It’s not all that often Benn and Seguin score in the same playoff game. In fact, Game 3 on Wednesday, when Benn scored the equalizer and Seguin won it in overtime, marked only the fourth time it’s occurred. The first time was April 16, 2014, which happened to be Benn’s inaugural playoff contest. It also took place on August 26, 2020, in the bubble versus Colorado and April 19, 2023, against Minnesota.
These days, when they score, it’s a good-humored trip down memory lane.
“When him or I are scoring a goal, you continue to read flashbacks or ‘back to the old days,’” Seguin cracked. “We’re still living in the now, him and I.”
Good thing for Dallas that Seguin proved to be a fast healer. He underwent left hip surgery on Dec. 1 and wasn’t really expected to return until possibly this week. But he was back for the regular-season finale and really back for the postseason.
“He worked his (rear) off to get back as early as he did,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “I think it’s the earliest the surgeon who did this surgery has ever had a guy come back from this. That was him, just working to give himself a chance to play.”
Seguin doesn’t view himself as some sort of medical marvel. He simply realized the work he had in front of him after having a similar procedure on his right hip that kept him out of all but three games of the 2020-21 season after playing through pain in the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals.
“I knew what buttons to push, what training regimen to do and how to recover,” Seguin said. “Just happy to be part of the journey now.”
Before Game 3, Benn hadn’t scored since March 8, when he recorded his 399th career regular-season goal. He’s always been a threat against the Avalanche come postseason time, with 16 points (six goals and 10 assists) over 17 career games. The only active player with more points against Colorado in the postseason is Miro Heiskanen (17 points), the defenseman who’s sidelined by a lower-body injury but is working his way back.
This is the 16th NHL season for Benn, tying him for the second-most in Stars history (with Neal Broten). The only Stars player with a longer tenure is Hall of Famer Mike Modano at 20 seasons. Benn’s trying to join the company of Modano, who helped the Stars to their only Stanley Cup title in 1999.
“When you get around (Benn), the big thing I realize is just how beloved he is by his teammates,” DeBoer said. “You don’t get that by accident. You don’t get that by buying team dinners. You get that by how you treat people on a daily basis. That’s probably his best part. When he gets off the ice, he’s a really unselfish, good guy, that is a friend to everybody, that’s always taken care of everybody. His team loves him.”
Benn is in the final year of an eight-year, $76 million contract. Seguin has two more years left on a $78.8 million, eight-year contract.
They have a strong supporting cast, too, including youngsters (Wyatt Johnston), savvy veterans (Matt Duchene, Roope Hintz) and big trade deadline additions (former Avalanche standout Mikko Rantanen). They also have a dependable goaltender in Jake Oettinger, who certainly appreciates the leadership of Benn and Seguin.
“Even though they’ve been around for a while, they’ve still got a ton of great hockey left in them,” Oettinger said. “If we can get everyone going at the same time, we’re a pretty scary team.”
Judge declares mistrial in sexual assault case
A judge declared a mistrial Friday in the sexual assault case involving five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team.
The ruling from a judge in Ontario means a new trial will be held for Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote, who have all pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.
McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault.
The trial began Wednesday and the prosecution’s first witness only briefly took the stand before testimony was put on hold for legal arguments that took place in the absence of the jury.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia brought jurors back Friday morning and informed them that they were being discharged.
The charges against the players relate to an encounter that took place in a hotel room in Ontario in June 2018 when many of the team’s members were in London for a Hockey Canada gala.
Eastern Conference playoff scheduleTampa Bay vs. Florida
(Florida leads 2-0)
▶ Game 1: Florida 6-2
▶ Game 2: Florida 2-0
▶ Game 3: Saturday at Florida, 1 p.m.
▶ Game 4: Monday, April 28 at Florida, TBA
▶ Game 5: x-Wednesday at Tampa Bay, TBA
▶ Game 6: x-Friday at Florida, TBA
▶ Game 7: x-Sunday at Tampa Bay, TBA
Washington vs. Montreal
(Washington leads 2-1)
▶ Game 1: Washington 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 2: Washington 3-1
▶ Game 3: Monteral 6-3
▶ Game 4: Sunday, April 27 at Montreal, 6:30 p.m.
▶ Game 5: Wednesday at Washington, TBA
▶ Game 6: x-Friday, May 2 at Montreal, TBA
▶ Game 7: x-Sunday at Washington, TBA
Carolina vs. New Jersey
(Carolina leads 2-1)
▶ Game 1: Carolina 4-1
▶ Game 2: Carolina 3-1
▶ Game 3: New Jersey 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 4: Sunday, April 27 at New Jersey, 3:30 p.m.
▶ Game 5: x-Tuesday, April 29 at Carolina, TBA
▶ Game 6: x-Friday, May 2 at New Jersey, TBA
▶ Game 7: x-Sunday, May 4 at Carolina, TBA
Toronto vs. Ottawa
(Toronto leads 3-0)
▶ Game 1: Toronto 6-2
▶ Game 2: Toronto 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 3: Toronto 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 4: Saturday, April 26 at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
▶ Game 5: x-Tuesday, April 29 at Toronto, TBA
▶ Game 6: x-Thursday, May 1 at Ottawa, TBA
▶ Game 7: x-Saturday, May 3 at Toronto, TBA
Western Conference playoff scheduleDallas vs. Colorado
(Dallas leads 2-1)
▶ Game 1: Colorado 5-1
▶ Game 2: Dallas 4-3 (OT)
▶ Game 3: Dallas 2-1 (OT)
▶ Game 4: Saturday, April 26 at Colorado, 9:30 p.m.
▶ Game 5: x-Monday, April 28 at Dallas, TBA
▶ Game 6: x-Thursday, May 1 at Colorado, TBA
▶ Game 7: x-Saturday, May 3 at Dallas, TBA
Los Angeles vs. Edmonton
(Los Angeles leads 2-1)
▶ Game 1: Los Angeles 6-5
▶ Game 2: Los Angeles 6-2
▶ Game 3: Edmonton 7-4
▶ Game 4: Sunday, April 27 at Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.
▶ Game 5: x-Tuesday, April 29 at Los Angeles, TBA
▶ Game 6: x-Thursday, May 1 at Edmonton, TBA
▶ Game 7: x-Saturday, May 3 at Los Angeles, TBA
Vegas vs. Minnesota
(Minnesota leads 2-1)
▶ Game 1: Vegas 4-2
▶ Game 2: Minnesota 5-2
▶ Game 3: Minnesota 5-2
▶ Game 4: Saturday, April 26 at Minnesota, 4 p.m.
▶ Game 5: Tuesday, April 29 at Vegas, TBA
▶ Game 6: x-Thursday, May 1 at Minnesota, TBA
▶ Game 7: x-Saturday, May 3 at Vegas, TBA
Winnipeg vs. St. Louis
(Winnipeg leads 2-1)
▶ Game 1: Winnipeg 5-3
▶ Game 2: Winnipeg 2-1
▶ Game 3: St. Louis 7-2
▶ Game 4: Sunday, April 27 at St. Louis, 1 p.m.
▶ Game 5: Wednesday, April 30 at Winnipeg, TBA
▶ Game 6: x-Friday, May 2 at St. Louis, TBA
▶ Game 7: x-Sunday, May 4 at Winnipeg, TB
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