Game 7: Hurricanes 3, Bruins 2 | Carolina wins 4-3

Who was the guy? Max Domi stepped in when it mattered most to Carolina. He was one of the more unlikely offensive sources after scoring just two goals and seven points in 19 games since the trade deadline. And in this series, he got only two assists. But he had a direct influence on every scoring game on Saturday, starting with the first assist on Teuvo Tervainen’s opening goal. and two goals to him. It took him a playoff game to match his regular-season goal tally with the Hurricanes.

So a DOMINANT victory for Carolina, then. Now to Lightning-Leafs….

— Alison (@AlisonL) May 14, 2022

Was his game perfect below the surface? Absolutely not. But the results proved to be the difference on Saturday.

What was the key? We’ve put a lot of emphasis on goaltenders in this series, and rightly so. The Hurricanes were missing the starter that helped get them here. And when Antti Raanta left a game earlier in this series with an injury, third stringer Pyotr Kochetkov was forced into action. But in Game 7, Raanta finished with a .929 save percentage and stopped 1.4 goals above expectation in all situations, according to Natural Stat Trick. It’s a good start and a stolen victory.

STOP pic.twitter.com/4TFXaYbwuo

— Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) May 14, 2022

Key stat: In all situations, David Pastrnak attempted 11 shots – the most of any skater in this game. The Hurricanes were only lucky a Beat them. Additionally, the five-on-five attempts were 21-14 in favor of Boston with him on the ice, and his team had a 65% expected goal ratio.

When it was over: Pastrnak made it a one-goal game with 21 seconds left in regulation and brought some tension in the last minute of play. Boston called a time-out to set up a game to try to tie this late one. . Brad Marchand was in a great position to extend the Bruins season a bit longer if he redirected an incoming shot, but he couldn’t.

Game time: Trent Frederic fires a wrist shot towards Raanta, but he rings the post. The game continues and the Hurricanes come up the ice. Teuvo Teravainen sends a center pass to Domi, and he scores from the crevice to give Carolina a 3-1 lead. The Bruins would have tied the score if Frederic’s shot had been triggered. almost That was when it was over until Pastrnak made it a one goal game and ensured the game remained close until the end. Instead, it was a pivotal moment in the game that Frederic will likely be thinking about the entire offseason.

Bruins worry meter: ☠️ … and now report speculation about Patrice Bergeron’s future to really raise the level.

Carolina Worry Meter: ✌️

—Shayna Goldman

Game 7: Lightning 2, Maple Leafs 1 | Tampa Bay wins 4-3

Who was the guy? With Game 6 hero Brayden Point injured early on, someone was going to have to step in for the two-time defending champions to advance. That someone, it turned out, was Nick Paul. The 2022 trade deadline acquisition scored both of the Lightning’s goals, had several more scoring opportunities and made major defensive play. In the end, his 22:03 led all Lightning forwards in ice time. Paul entered the game with zero career playoff goals, which made sense as it was his first career playoff. He left a popular hero.

What was the key? That was to be expected, given he entered Saturday on a five-game shutout streak in closing games, but Andrei Vasilevskiy was turned off for the Lightning. This time he allowed a goal (and actually let two pucks pass him, but more on that in a moment), but he was still a wall, stopping 30 of 31. More importantly, he stopped all 17 shots he faced. in the third period, including six crucially shorthanded.

Key stat: Vasilevskiy finishes with 2.42 goals saved above expectations. The Maple Leafs played well enough to win this game. But Vasilevskiy was even better, and Paul’s goals gave the Lightning all the cushion they needed in a marquee performance from their scorer.

When it was over: Not until the final buzzer sounds. It was a hell of a game. Exactly what a Game 7 should look like.

Game time: Paul’s winner — just three minutes after the Leafs tied it — would certainly fit in here, as would that third-period shorthanded streak from Vasilevskiy. But we can’t write the story of this game without mentioning John Tavares’ goal which was wiped out because of an interference penalty from Justin Holl. It was a hand pick game from Holl, and it certainly affected the goal. Officials had to call him for this reason. But every time a goal goes off the board, it’s a huge moment in the game.

Maple Leafs Worry Meter: ☠️ … Now the big question is where do the Leafs go from here?

Lightning Worry Counter: ✌️… Point’s injury casts all the shade ahead of a national series with the Panthers. But Vasilevskiy has just shown why it is difficult to choose against him.

—Max Bultman

Game 7: Oilers 2, Kings 0 | Edmonton wins 4-3

Who was the guy? Make a wild guess. Let me give you a hint, his first name starts with a C. With Leon Draisaitl far from 100% due to injury, Connor McDavid had no problem putting the Oilers on his back. McDavid was unstoppable in Game 7, registering a goal and an assist. McDavid played 27:22 and finished with 12 shot attempts and a huge expected goal differential of 72% five-on-five.

What was the key? The Oilers played a tight defensive game, limiting the Kings to just 23 shots at five-on-five. Evasions were cleaner, there was no space for LA to use their speed on the counterattack, and the shots the Kings got came largely from the perimeter. Edmonton lost games earlier in this series despite having no trouble scoring, so it was huge that the Oilers limited LA’s net chances and got a solid play from Mike Smith to cap it off. the whole thing.

Key stat: McDavid appeared in six multipoint games in the series.

When it was over: McDavid’s beautiful wraparound goal late in the third gave the Oilers a two-goal lead that seemed insurmountable for the Kings, who were struggling to generate offense.

CONNOR CAN’T BE STOPPED! 2-0 OILERS! 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/QPNFeG8Dh9

– zach laing (@zjlaing) May 15, 2022

Game time: Cody Ceci’s first goal was when the barrage finally broke. Edmonton pressed the entire period, Jonathan Quick fought back, but the Oilers finally got past him with a perfect shot, and it came from an unlikely hero.

Kings Worry Meter: ☠️ … LA has pushed this series much closer than most. The Kings have a bright future once some of their top prospects graduate.

Tanker worry meter: ✌️… It cannot be overstated how important this win is for the Oilers. A series loss to the upstart Kings would have caused madness.

—Harman Dayal

Three stars

Meet for Sunday

• Penguins at Rangers, 7 p.m. ET (series tied 3-3)

• Stars at Flames, 9:30 p.m. ET (series tied 3-3)

(Photo: Katherine Gawlik/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)