Thursday NHL playoffs: Hamilton helps Carolina beat Boston 3-2, tie series 1-1
Toronto – This is what Dougie Hamilton was hoping for while he waited out the pandemic shutdown that put the NHL season on hold, and then waited some more after injuring himself in practice when the Hurricanes returned to the ice.
The Carolina defenseman scored the game-winner with 11:30 left in the third period on Thursday night to lead the Carolina to a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins – the team that drafted him, and then gave up on him – and tie their playoff series at one game apiece.
“For seven months you’re thinking about that kind of stuff: Playing a game, scoring a goal,” said Hamilton, who missed the last 21 games of the regular season and the qualifying round series against the Rangers with separate injuries. “That’s what fuels you.”
One day after Boston won the delayed, double-overtime opener, Carolina’s No. 2 goalie James Reimer stopped 33 shots to beat the Presidents’ Trophy winners. Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist, Teuvo Teravainen also scored, and Martin Necas had two assists for the Hurricanes.
David Krejci and Brad Marchand scored for Boston, and Tuukka Rask made 23 saves. The Bruins, who swept Carolina in the Eastern Conference finals last season, pulled the goalie for an extra attacker and had a chance when Reimer lost his stick in the final 10 seconds, but couldn’t convert.
Game 3 is Saturday.
Las Vegas 4, Chicago 3 (OT): Reilly Smith scored in overtime, Robin Lehner made 22 saves and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Thursday to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford stopped 35 of the 39 shots he faced in a losing effort. Crawford and Lehner were teammates with Chicago until the trade deadline.
Paul Stastny, Tomas Nosek and Mark Stone scored for Vegas.
Chicago got goals from rookies Kirby Dach and Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome.
Patrick Kane assisted on all three Chicago goals in the second period. Crawford made 16 of his saves in the third period.
Game 3 is set for Saturday night.
Columbus 3, Tampa Bay 1: Two days after making an NHL-record 85 saves in a five-overtime loss, Joonas Korpisalo stopped 36 more shots to help the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Thursday to even the series at a game apiece.
Ryan Murray and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored in the first period for Columbus, both goals set up by Pierre-Luc Dubois. Alexander Wennberg added another in the third.
Nikita Kucherov scored for the Lightning, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves. The Tampa Bay goalie had 61 stops Tuesday in a 4-3 victory in the fourth-longest game in league history.
Dallas 5, Calgary 4: Jamie Oleksiak scored with 40 seconds left in regulation as Dallas won after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period.
The Stars caught Calgary on a line change, and Oleksiak took a pass from Corey Perry and scored, evening their best-of-seven series at a game each.
Perry also scored on the power play in the second period for the Stars. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen added two goals for Dallas.
Dillon Dube, Derek Forbort, Sam Bennet and Tobias Rieder scored for Calgary.
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Philadelphia leads No. 8 Montreal, 1-0
Wednesday: Philadelphia 2, Montreal 1
Friday: 3 p.m.
Sunday: 8 p.m.
Tuesday: 3 p.m.
x-Aug. 19: TBD
x-Aug. 21: TBD
x-Aug. 23: TBD
No. 2 Tampa Bay tied with No. 7 Columbus, 1-1
Tuesday: Tampa Bay 3, Columbus 2 (5 OT)
Thursday: Columbus 3, Tampa Bay 1
Saturday: 7:30 p.m.
Monday: 3 p.m.
x-Aug. 19: TBD
x-Aug. 21: TBD
x- Aug. 22: TBD
No. 6 N.Y. Islanders lead No. 3 Washington 1-0
Wednesday: N.Y. Islanders 4, Washington 2
Friday: 8 p.m.
Sunday: Noon
Tuesday: 8 p.m.
x-Aug. 20: TBD
x-Aug. 22:TBD
x-Aug. 23: TBD
No. 4 Boston tied with No. 5 Carolina 1-1
Wednesday: Boston 4, Carolina 3, 2OT
Thursday: Carolina 3, Boston 2
Saturday: Noon
Monday: 8 p.m.
x-Aug. 19: TBD
x-Aug. 20: TBD
x-Aug. 23: TBD
Western Conference
No. 1 Las Vegas leads No. 8 Chicago 2-0
Tuesday: Las Vegas 4 Chicago 1
Thursday: Las Vegas 4, Chicago 3, OT
Saturday: 8 p.m.
Sunday: 6:30 p.m.
x-Aug. 18: TBD
x-Aug. 20: TBD
x-Aug. 22: TBD
No. 2 Colorado leads No. 7 Arizona 1-0
Wednesday: Colorado 3, Arizona 0
Friday: 2 p.m.
Saturday: 3 p.m.
Monday: 5:30 p.m.
x-Aug. 19: TBD
x-Aug. 21: TBD
x-Aug. 23: TBD
No. 3 Dallas tied with No. 6 Calgary 1-1
Tuesday: Calgary 3, Dallas 2
Thursday: Dallas 5, Calgary 4
Friday: 10:30 p.m.
Sunday: 2 p.m.
x-Aug. 18: TBD
x-Aug. 20: TBD
x-Aug. 22: TBD
No. 5 Vancouver leads No. 4 St. Louis 1-0
Wednesday: Vancouver 5, St. Louis 2
Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Sunday: 10:30 p.m.
Monday: 10:30 p.m.
x-Aug. 19: TBD
x-Aug. 21: TBD
x-Aug. 23: TBD