Comments / New

NHL Playoffs: Upsets abound on opening night

The 2019 NHL playoffs got off to a rousing start that saw the road team pull off three upsets in five total games last night.

Most shocking was the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 come from behind win over the heavily-favored Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one period, but some huge saves by Sergei Bobrovsky helped the Jackets settle down and mount a third period rally that saw goals from David Savard, Josh Anderson (SHG), and finally Seth Jones power-play winner with 5:55 remaining.

Rookie defenseman Miro Heiskanen scored twice and Mats Zuccarello notched the eventual game-winner as the Dallas Stars held off the Nashville Predators for a 3-2 win at Bridgestone Arena. Ben Bishop finished with 28 saves for the Stars.

The St. Louis Blues got third period goals from Tyler Bozak and David Perron and Jordan Binnington made 24 saves in his postseason debut to surprise the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 at Bell MTS Place. Patrik Laine scored the only goal for the home team.

Josh Bailey knocked in Mathew Barzal’s rebound off the post 4:39 into overtime as the New York Islanders held serve at home with a 4-3 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jordan Eberle, Brock Nelson, and Nick Leddy scored the other goals for the Isles, while Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin, and Justin Schultz scored for the Pens.

And finally, the San Jose Sharks got a dominating performance from defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson in a 5-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. The dynamic blueline duo controlled play and Burns registered a goal and an assist, while Karlsson collected two helpers. Martin Jones made 24 stops to get the relatively easy victory.

Tonight’s games

  • Toronto at Boston 7 p.m. NBCSN
  • Carolina at Washington 7:30 p.m. USA
  • Colorado at Calgary 10 p.m. NBCSN/

Talking Points