The initial round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs wrapped up with two exhilarating Game 7 contests over the weekend. On Sunday night, the Winnipeg Jets triumphed over the St. Louis Blues with a 4-3 victory in double overtime, narrowly avoiding elimination by scoring a goal with just three seconds left in regulation. The day before, the Dallas Stars completed a 4-2 comeback win to eliminate the Colorado Avalanche, fueled by Mikko Rantanen`s third-period hat trick against his former club.
During their dramatic win, the Jets twice faced two-goal deficits, first down 2-0 in the opening period and later trailing 3-1 with only two minutes remaining. Vladislav Namestnikov scored at 1:56, and Cole Perfetti netted the equalizer with a mere three seconds left to force sudden death. After more than 36 minutes of intense overtime play, Adam Lowry deflected a Neal Pionk shot to end the game, marking it as the third-longest Game 7 in NHL history.
In the other Game 7 classic of the weekend, the Dallas Stars found themselves trailing the Avalanche 2-0 in the third period. Mikko Rantanen then scored two goals to even the score, and subsequently assisted on Wyatt Johnston`s game-winning goal with less than four minutes remaining. To cap off his performance and the win, Rantanen completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal.
The second round is scheduled to commence on Monday night, with the reigning champion Florida Panthers visiting the Toronto Maple Leafs to open their series. Canada, which has not had a team win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, began the playoffs with five teams but is now down to three: Toronto, Winnipeg, and last season`s finalist, Edmonton.
(1) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3) Florida Panthers
- Game 1: Monday, May 5 | 8 p.m. | at TOR | ESPN
- Game 2: Wednesday, May 7 | 7 p.m. | at TOR | ESPN
- Game 3: Friday, May 9 | 7 p.m. | at FLA | TNT/truTV/Max
- Game 4: Sunday, May 11 | 7:30 p.m. | at FLA | TBS/truTV/Max
- IF NECESSARY Game 5: Wednesday, May 14 | TBD | at TOR | ESPN
- IF NECESSARY Game 6: Friday, May 16 | TBD | at FLA | TNT/truTV/Max
- IF NECESSARY Game 7: Sunday, May 18 | TBD | at TOR | TNT/Max
(1) Washington Capitals vs. (2) Carolina Hurricanes
- Game 1: Tuesday, May 6 | 7 p.m. | at WSH | ESPN
- Game 2: Thursday, May 8 | 7 p.m. | at WSH | ESPN
- Game 3: Saturday, May 10 | 6 p.m. | at CAR | TNT/truTV/Max
- Game 4: Monday, May 12 | 7 p.m. | at CAR | TNT/truTV/Max
- IF NECESSARY Game 5: Thursday, May 15 | TBD | at WSH | TNT/truTV/Max
- IF NECESSARY Game 6: Saturday, May 17 | TBD | at CAR | TBD
- IF NECESSARY Game 7: Monday, May 19 | TBD | at WSH | ESPN
(1) Winnipeg Jets vs. (2) Dallas Stars
- Game 1: Wednesday, May 7 | 9:30 p.m. | at WPG | ESPN
- Game 2: Friday, May 9 | 9:30 p.m. | at WPG | TNT/truTV/Max
- Game 3: Saturday, May 11 | 4:30 p.m. | at DAL | TBS/truTV/Max
- Game 4: Tuesday, May 13 | 8 p.m. | at DAL | ESPN
- IF NECESSARY Game 5: Thursday, May 15 | TBD | at Jets | TNT/truTV/Max
- IF NECESSARY Game 6: Saturday, May 17 | TBD | at DAL | TBD
- IF NECESSARY Game 7: Monday, May 19 | TBD | at WPG | ESPN
(1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (3) Edmonton Oilers
- Game 1: Tuesday, May 6 | 9:30 p.m. | at VGK | ESPN
- Game 2: Thursday, May 8 | 9:30 p.m. | at VGK | ESPN
- Game 3: Saturday, May 10 | 9 p.m. | at EDM | TNT/truTV/Max
- Game 4: Monday, May 12 | 9:30 | at EDM | TNT/truTV/Max
- IF NECESSARY Game 5: Wednesday, May 14 | TBD | at VGK | ESPN
- IF NECESSARY Game 6: Friday, May 16 | TBD | at EDM | TNT/truTV/Max
- IF NECESSARY Game 7: Sunday, May 18 | TBD | at VGK | TNT/Max
