The defending champions are on the ropes, and the most effective crew within the NHL has one other likelihood to maneuver on to the second spherical of the playoffs.
All 4 first-round sequence resuming Friday evening function a Game 6 with potential elimination. The most stunning crew on the brink is Colorado, down 3-2 to the Kraken with the sequence going again to Seattle.
There are a pair of second probabilities within the East, with top-seeded Boston making an attempt to place away Florida and Carolina trying to advance previous the New York Islanders. Out West, Dallas is on the verge of knocking off Minnesota and transferring on.
All eyes now are on the Avalanche, who’re one loss away from being the primary reigning Stanley Cup champion to lose to a crew making its first playoff look in franchise historical past.
“With the culture we have here, belief is the biggest thing and that’s instilled from the top down, so that’s never going to go away,” veteran ahead Andrew Cogliano mentioned Thursday. “But I think we’re at a point now where action is much louder than words.”
It’s time for motion from the Bruins, too, after they missed their first likelihood to maneuver previous the Panthers, with an extra time loss Wednesday punctuated by uncharacteristic errors. As captain Patrice Bergeron mentioned afterward, he and his teammates can’t give an opportunistic opponent “freebies” as they did in Game 5 at residence.
Game 6 is on the street at Florida, and the Bruins nonetheless have the sequence lead trying to be the tenth Presidents’ Trophy winners prior to now 11 years to win at the very least one sequence.
“I’m sure we’re going to come back with a real good, determined effort,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery mentioned. “I have a lot of confidence in our team.”
Confidence isn’t missing for the Avalanche, both, particularly after their Cup run a yr in the past. They’ll additionally get a lift with the return of 2022 playoff MVP Cale Makar from a one-game suspension.
But very similar to Boston, the stress is on Colorado.
“They’re playing loose, they’re confident,” coach Jared Bednar mentioned of the Kraken. “Obviously the guys in their room are like, ‘Yeah, we want to win,’ but expectations are on our team.”
HURRICANES at ISLANDERS, Carolina leads 3-2 (7 p.m. EDT, TBS)
The Hurricanes misplaced Game 5 at residence regardless of outshooting the Islanders 36-22 and dictating for lengthy stretches. Two Islanders targets got here off Carolina turnovers, and the puck banked off Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho’s face for an additional.
Otherwise, it’d’ve been the crew’s finest 5-on-5 sport of the sequence.
“You feel like you played good enough to win, but the bounces didn’t quite go our way,” Hurricanes ahead Seth Jarvis mentioned. “But for us, even watching video you could tell, we played the way we want to play.”
Forward Jack Drury is out once more after being knocked out of Game 4 on a tough hit into the boards, based on coach Rod Brind’Amour, who didn’t rule out the opportunity of going with Frederik Andersen in web after Antti Raanta began the primary 5 video games.
There are not any questions on Ilya Sorokin being again in web for the Islanders after he made 34 saves to assist New York win its first elimination sport. Now comes one other, this one with home-ice benefit and the prospect to push the sequence to a Game 7 in Raleigh.
BRUINS at PANTHERS, Boston leads 3-2 (7:30 p.m., TNT)
The phrase that Florida coach Paul Maurice retains utilizing is freedom.
Yes, there’s an apparent stress when dealing with elimination – which the Panthers have been in Game 5 in Boston earlier than successful 4-3 – however there’s additionally a lot much less from the skin going in opposition to the crew that had the most effective common season in NHL historical past.
“These are hard games for these guys to play,” Maurice mentioned. “You just have to mentally process one, and fight, and that brings that freedom. That’s the exact word I used before that game. You want to play with a freedom.”
Sergei Bobrovsky seemed like his finest self, and a cease on a breakaway within the remaining second of regulation bought Florida to extra time – on an evening the Bruins outshot the NHL’s most-prolific taking pictures crew within the common season 47-25.
“The veteran players and also your highest-paid players, these are the games where the pressure has to be on their shoulders, and they have to rise to the occasion,” Maurice mentioned. “And he did. Everything that we could have hoped for from Sergei, he delivered.”
The Panthers haven’t gained two elimination video games in the identical sequence, or the identical playoffs, since 1996. They could or could not have Ryan Lomberg for his or her newest try, with Maurice calling the ahead a game-time choice.
STARS at WILD, Dallas leads 3-2 (9:30 p.m., TBS)
Joe Pavelski might return for the Stars of their first likelihood to advance after lacking the previous 4 video games in concussion protocol from successful from Minnesota’s Matt Dumba within the sequence opener.
Coach Peter DeBoer mentioned Pavelski, at 38 the second-oldest participant within the playoffs and a key chief for Dallas, was touring to the Twin Cities after nearly a full follow.
The Stars have survived thus far with out Pavelski, because of the manufacturing of middle Roope Hintz, the main scorer within the first spherical with 11 factors, and goaltender Jake Oettinger, who stopped all 27 pictures he confronted Tuesday in Game 5 for the primary shutout of this postseason.
Another win in his residence state would vault the Stars into the second spherical and a matchup in opposition to both Colorado or Seattle.
“We have a great opportunity ahead of us,” mentioned Oettinger, who has a .925 save proportion thus far. “This is exactly where we want to be.”
AVALANCHE AT KRAKEN, Seattle leads 3-2 (10 p.m., TNT)
The Kraken are attempting to deal with the second simply as if it’s some other scenario. But gamers and coach Dave Hakstol know the gravity of the scenario.
“We know what’s on the line, believe me,” Hakstol mentioned. “We want to go home and play well and get the job done at home.”
The Kraken have put Nathan MacKinnon and the high-flying Avalanche on their heels by scoring first in all 5 video games. The Avalanche want to reverse that development and ship the sequence again to Denver for a Game 7 Sunday.
“We’ve got to have some desperation … and just find a way,” ahead Mikko Rantanen mentioned.
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