ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Mark Scheifele scored both goals for Winnipeg and Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for his seventh shutout this season, as the Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 2-0 on Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in a NHL Western Conference first-round series.
Scheifele scored with 28 seconds left in the first period and tacked on an empty-netter with 11 seconds remaining, pushing the Wild to the brink of elimination.
Devan Dubnyk stopped 26 shots for the Wild, who played without star left wing Zach Parise because of a broken sternum suffered in Game 3. After a six-goal outburst in their last appearance, the Wild had trouble generating the same kind of relentless attack and simply couldn't slide any pucks past Hellebuyck.
Now the series shifts back to Winnipeg, with Game 5 on Friday night.
After a tightly whistled game here Sunday night, there were only three penalties called. The Jets closed up the holes they gave the Wild through the neutral zone in Game 3. Hellebuyck, who was named earlier in the day one of the NHL's three finalists for the Vezina Trophy that's awarded annually to the best goalie in the league, bounced back in a big way from the previous game when he gave up six goals and was pulled after two periods.
The crowd, fired up about the opportunity the Wild had to even the series, produced plenty of collective groans after difficult saves by Hellebuyck. One of Hellebuyck's most important stops came in the opening minutes of the second period, when a 3-on-1 rush by the Wild set up Matt Dumba for a wrist try denied with a sprawling glove stop.
Scheifele was part of the sandwich hit with Ben Chiarot late in the third period of Game 3 on Parise that led to a broken sternum for the Wild's all-time postseason scoring leader, a stunning setback for the home team revealed about four hours before Game 4.
Late in the first period, Kyle Connor fed Scheifele with a slick give-and-go pass for the 1-0 lead right before the first intermission.
CAPITALS 3,
BLUE JACKETS 2, 2OT
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Lars Eller scored in the second overtime period and the Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 3 to tighten up the their first-round playoff series.
The Capitals won at Nationwide Arena after Columbus won the first two games — both in overtime — in Washington. It was the Capitals’ turn to prevail in OT, this time on the Blue Jackets’ home ice, to pull to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Eller tapped a rebound past Sergei Bobrovsky nine minutes into the second extra period for his first goal in the playoff series.
Tom Wilson and John Carlson also scored, and Braden Holtby stopped 33 shots for the Capitals, who were in danger of falling into a nearly insurmountable hole had they let the game slip away.
Game 4 is Thursday night at Nationwide Arena with Game 5 set for Washington on Saturday.
Pierre-Luc Dubois and Artemi Panarin scored for Columbus, and Bobrovsky finished with 42 saves after getting 54 in the Game 2 on Sunday.
MONDAY'S LATE GAMES
DEVILS 5, LIGHTNING 2
NEWARK, N.J. -- Taylor Hall had a goal and two assists, setting up Stefan Noesen's game-winner with 7:05 play, and New Jersey scored four times in the third to beat Tampa Bay in Game 3.
Rookie Will Butcher had a power-play goal earlier in the third to tie the score 2-2, and Blake Coleman and Ben Lovejoy added empty net goals late. Cory Schneider made 34 saves while starting in place of Keith Kinkaid.
Schneider, who seemed to hurt his groin in a collision with Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh midway through the final period, survived a late power play to nail down the win and pull the Devils to 2-1 in the best-of-seven first-round series.
Alex Killorn and Steven Stamkos each had a power-play goal and an assist for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov added two assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves.
Game 4 is tonight at the Prudential Center.
SHARKS 8, DUCKS 1
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Joonas Donskoi scored one goal and set up another to start a four-goal barrage in the second period and San Jose raced past Anaheim for the third consecutive game to take a 3-0 series lead.
Donskoi scored and then set up Marcus Sorensen in the opening four minutes of the second period to seize control of the game and series.
Eric Fehr and Tomas Hertl added goals later in the second to turn this all-California series into a rout. Logan Couture had a goal and two assists, Joe Pavelski, Evander Kane and Timo Meier scored power-play goals in the third period, for the Sharks, who have outscored the Ducks 14-3 through the first three games of the first-round series.
Martin Jones made 45 saves, the most for a Sharks goalie in a regulation playoff game.
San Jose will look to complete the sweep in Game 4 at home tonight.
Rickard Rakell scored a power-play goal for Anaheim, which has scored three goals all series -- including just one at even strength.
AVALANCHE 5, PREDATORS 3
DENVER -- Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including one as part of a three-goal first period and another to chase Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne from the game, and Colorado pulled to 2-1 in the first-round series.
Blake Comeau and Gabriel Bourque also scored in a furious opening period that revved up a pom-pom waving capacity crowd. Gabriel Landeskog was credited with an empty-net goal for the Avalanche, who snapped a 12-game skid against the Predators.
Game 4 is tonight at the Pepsi Center.
MacKinnon's goal at 4:25 of the second period gave Colorado a 4-0 lead and prompted the Predators to pull Rinne in favor of backup Juuse Saros. Rinne allowed four goals on 15 shots.
Jonathan Bernier stopped 29 shots on a night when the Avalanche finished 0 for 5 on the power play. Ryan Johansen had a second-period goal and Colton Sissons scored another in the third to make it 4-2.
At a glance
NHL PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7; x-if necessary) MONDAY’S GAMES
Toronto 4, Boston 2
Boston leads series 2-1
New Jersey 5, Tampa Bay 2 Colorado 5, Nashville 3 San Jose 8, Anaheim 1
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Winnipeg 2, Minnesota 0
Winnipeg leads series 3-1
Washington 3, Columbus 2, 2 OT
Columbus leads series 2-1
Vegas 1, Los Angeles 0
Vegas wins series 4-0
TODAY’S GAMES
All times Central
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
Pittsburgh leads series 2-1
Tampa Bay at New Jersey, 6:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay leads series 2-1
Nashville at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Nashville leads series 2-1
Anaheim at San Jose, 9:30 p.m.
San Jose leads series 3-0
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Boston at Toronto, 6 p.m. Washington at Columbus, 6:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, APRIL 20
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, TBA Colorado at Nashville, TBA Minnesota at Winnipeg, TBA x-San Jose at Anaheim, TBA
Sports on 04/18/2018