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Series highlights: Oilers and Devils close the gap in their respective series

The first round of the NHL playoffs continued in earnest last night, with three series featuring Game #3.

Of course, as you all know, one of those games was the Montreal Canadiens’ stunning 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals, in a game that went absolutely crazy.

And now, here’s what we remember from game #3 of the other two series.

Oilers find room to breathe

After losing the first two games of the series in Los Angeles, the Oilers simply had no choice but to bounce back at home in Game #3.

The Stanley Cup finalists simply couldn’t afford to fall behind 0-3 in the series.

For this game, the Oilers opted for a change of goaltender, sending Calvin Pickard into the fray in place of Stuart Skinner, who had been very ordinary in the first two games of the series.

Unfortunately for the Oilers, Pickard wasn’t that much better, but fortunately it didn’t cost the Oilers the game.

It was a crazy game, with both teams taking the lead at different times.

The Oilers took a quick 2-0 lead in the first period thanks to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard, but Adrian Kempe closed the gap before the first intermission.

Kempe is on a roll with nine points, including four goals, in three games. He’s really a playoff guy.

Then, in the second period, the Kings took advantage of the power play to take the lead in the game thanks to Kevin Fiala and Drew Doughty.

A few minutes later, Connor Brown tied the game, but it only lasted nine seconds, as Trevor Moore scored a superb one-handed goal as soon as play resumed.

The Oilers went into the locker room trailing 4-3.

Fortunately, Kris Knoblauch’s team came back strong in the third period, as they played the same trick on the Kings with two goals in ten seconds.

Evander Kane scored his first of the playoffs, a goal that was unsuccessfully challenged by the Kings, allowing the Oilers to go on the power play, and once again, Evan Bouchard wasted no time.

Edmonton didn’t look back after that goal, and confirmed its victory with two goals in an empty net, courtesy of Connor McDavid and Connor Brown.

The Oilers thus win Game #3 and close the gap in the series.

Game #4 takes place in Edmonton on Sunday at 9:30pm.

The Kings lead the series 2-1.

Simon Nemec gives Devils overtime win

Here’s another series in which the team with the class advantage had a 2-0 lead after its two home games.

The Carolina Hurricanes have won two big games at home, and yesterday they were looking to push the New Jersey Devils to the brink.

It was in the Devils’ interest to take the lead in this game, and they did just that, thanks to goals from Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer.

However, the Hurricanes weren’t beaten by a two-goal deficit.

The Hurricanes scored two third-period power-play goals from Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho to tie the game.

The game went into overtime, where the Devils were simply dominant.

The Devils attacked from everywhere and accumulated excellent scoring chances, but couldn’t seal the deal.

It wasn’t until the second period of overtime that the Devils finally capitalized on one of their thousand scoring chances.

It was 21-year-old defenseman Simon Nemec who gave the Devils victory with a superb goal.

Nemec became the youngest player in Devils history to score an overtime winner in the playoffs.

In short, the Devils badly needed this win, and now they’re back in the series.

Game #4 takes place Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in New Jersey.

The Hurricanes lead the series 2-1.

Overtime

– Here are yesterday’s results.

– Here are yesterday’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the program today: three games #4 and one game #3.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Cole Hutson: Caps prospect supports the Canadiens and his brother Lane

I’ve always loved to see sports brothers supporting their families.

But I’ve always hated to see a brother under contract with another team supporting his bro’ s team in the playoffs with laundry in the opposing team’s colors. There’s a big difference between supporting your brother… or your brother’s team.

Brady Tkachuk supporting the Flames when his brother Brady was in the playoffs was okay, since he didn’t have a Flames jersey as such. But Jason Kelce wearing Chiefs overalls or a toque for his brother Travis is too much, in my opinion.

And now another example has been added.

Cole Hutson, a Washington Capitals prospect, was at the Bell Centre yesterday to cheer on his brother. He was there with his mother and posted a story about it.

No problem so far: the club that drafted him and his brother Lane are on the ice.

But my problem is that, thanks to a photo posted by P.K. Subban (and republished in a story by Cole), we see that the Capitals prospect is wearing a jersey in the colors of… the Canadiens.

And it doesn’t pass muster, in my eyes.

You can cheer for your brother if you want, but you can’t wear the jersey of the team facing your organization in the playoffs. It’s disrespectful to your team.

If I’m an executive of the Washington Capitals this morning, I’m in fine form. The series is so intense, and as one of the club’s top prospects, you decide to take on the opposition?

Come on!

extension

And no, it can’t be another of Lane’s brothers. Subban identified Cole, the Capitals prospect republished the photo and Lane’s other two brothers, Quinn and Lars, don’t look like that.

It’s pretty clear.

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Johnny Gaudreau’s father met Cole Caufield after game #3

Cole Caufield was dominant tonight.

Playing in a full Bell Centre for the first time in his life, the young Canadien was one of his team’s driving forces – and one of the reasons for the 6-3 victory.

He had two points, including a goal, and was involved on the ice. His 11 shots on goal (a franchise record in the playoffs) are proof of that.

You won’t be surprised to learn that he thought the game was pretty crazy, much like everyone else. But what happened after the game must have been crazy for him too.

Why do I say that?

I say that because, according to Renaud Lavoie, Johnny Gaudreau’s father, Guy, was in Montreal for the game. And after the game, he met with #13 of the Montreal Canadiens.

That must have been special.

Caufield and Johnny Gaudreau were good friends. The Canadiens player changed his #22 to wear Gaudreau’s #13 following the latter’s death.

He is the only NHL player to have done so.

The former player of the Blue Jackets, the last club that could have prevented the CH from making the playoffs, was a great player and capable of pulling off one like the one Caufield had in his body tonight.

I’m sure Guy Gaudreau put in a good word for the CH’s little forward.

in gusto

– Yes, he did.

– Eh boy.

– Nothing less.

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Canadiens dominate Caps to close series gap

The Canadiens lost the first two games in Washington.

However, they had a chance to close the gap in this series.

Here are the line-ups:

This crazy game started with a Capitals goal.

Connor McMichael quieted the crowd with his third goal in two games.

Late in the first period, Montreal tied the game.

Alexandre Carrier scored his biggest career goal.

It was in the second period that the action really began.

First, on the power play, Nick Suzuki gave the Habs the lead.

But Jakob Chychrun brought everyone back to square one with this powerful shot.

2-2.

After the net, Samuel Montembeault made way for Jakub Dobes.

The Quebecer was visibly bothered by a lower-body injury.

Welcome to the playoffs, Jakub.

With less than 10 seconds left in the period, Lane Hutson intercepted a pass and fed Cole Caufield, who put the home team back on top.

Seconds later, Josh Anderson and Tom Wilson got into a fight… on the bench.

I’ve never seen anything like it!

This brawl whipped both teams into a frenzy.

Early in the period, Alex Ovechkin brought everyone back to square one.

But once again, the tie didn’t last long.

Christian Dvorak scored his second of the series.

With just over six minutes left in the game, Juraj Slafkovsky picked the best moment to score his first elimination goal.

On the sequence, Dylan Strome crashed into his goalie and Thompson left the game. It looked like a concussion the way he left the game… He had just come back to play, having missed a few games with a concussion.

I don’t think he’ll play Sunday or for the rest of the series.

Final score: 6-3. Alex Newhook scored the insurance goal in the final minutes.

Both teams return to action on Sunday in Montreal. Martin St-Louis’s team, which fired 40 shots at Washington’s two goalkeepers, can tie the series.

Washington has fired 19 shots.

Overtime

– It’s not the first time they’ve fought.

– It looked like the CH had the last change. I saw a much more involved Ivan Demidov tonight.

– A playoff player.

– A phantom penalty.

– What an atmosphere!

– CH EBUG. It’s not the first time he’s been at the Bell Centre.

– New meme.

– It’s worth pointing out.

– Suspension for Brandon Hagel.

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Josh Anderson and Tom Wilson battle it out on the Caps bench

What a crazy game number three!

With less than 10 seconds left in the second period, Montreal took a one-goal lead.

Thanks to Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield.

Seconds later, Josh Anderson and Tom Wilson, who have been looking for each other since the start of the series, battled it out…

On the Capitals bench? I’ve never seen anything like it.

The linesman tried to separate them, but he’s no stronger than the two power forwards.

The Caps coaches, who were still on the bench, tried to get out of the way. Ayoye!

It was the end of the period, so the officials watched the video replays to see which players would get penalties.

Overtime

I don’t know that without Arber Xhekaj, the game would be this crazy.

During the warm-up period, the defender spoke with a few Washington players, including Wilson, who was manhandled/targeted throughout the game.

Did you miss any real playoff games in Montreal?

I sure did!

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Samuel Montembeault leaves the game

The Habs are playing a great game so far.

Unfortunately, some bad news has fallen on the CH’s head: Samuel Montembeault has a groin injury.

He has been replaced by Jakub Dobes.

The Quebecer began to feel discomfort after the Caps’ second goal.

Jakob Chychrun beat him with a powerful shot.

Welcome to the show, Dobes!

The goalie, who has never played in the playoffs before, arrives at a crucial moment in the series, so to speak.

Details to follow…

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Go Habs Go: the Bell Centre doesn’t give a damn about the Office Québécoise de La langue Française

As of yesterday, the Go Habs Go scandal has been greatly exaggerated.

To recap, Montreal buses started writing “Go Habs Go” on their buses, but a complaint to the Office Québécois de la Langue Française caused STM to remove the words and put them in French: “Allez Montréal allez”. Let’s just say it’s a lot less chic…

I’m all for preserving the French language, but for such a trivial matter, I’m inclined to say: ” c’mon guys “…

I’m glad to see that the Bell Centre doesn’t give a damn about the OQLF’s directives. Why not? Because before the game, the “Go Habs Go” was quite visible on the giant screen.

I’m not the only one to have noticed.

The fans got into the game.

For long seconds, the crowd chanted the team cheer, even delaying Michel Lacroix’s speech.

Ah, and in addition to the GoHabsGo on the board, it’s also written on the towels.

The playoffs are back in Montreal!

For the first time since 2017, the Montreal amphitheatre is packed for the playoffs.

Now imagine if Carey Price had come out of the corridor with the torch.

The building would have exploded!

In any case, I missed the atmosphere of a packed Bell Centre in late April/early May.

The last time I’d experienced that, I was 15. I’m 22 now…

Burst

– You’ve got to do it.

– Wow.

– I can imagine.

– I love it.

– No, he isn’t.

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Match #3: Patrik Laine will not play with an upper-body injury

Patirk Laine won’t be playing tonight. The Habs just announced it on X.

And the CH also announced that the forward is injured… in his upper body.

His knee was (really) swollen at the end of the last game, but we didn’t necessarily know he had another injury.

Focusing on another fact…

Let’s not forget that Arber Xhekaj’s name is circulating a lot at the moment.

And we all know why.

But there’s one who’s not afraid of him, and his name is Tom Wilson. The Capitals forward doesn’t seem impressed by the idea of facing Arber tonight…

Because yes, Xhekaj will return to the Canadiens’ lineup tonight for Game 3 of the series against the Capials.

FINALLY, as the saying goes…

Note that it’s Jayden Struble who will leave his place to the Sheriff in the line-up:

I don’t hate it.

The CH had to find a way to be more physical against the Capitals’ big players… and they even thought about recalling Florian Xhekaj for tonight’s game.

That’s saying a lot.

It’s worth noting that Laine won’t be playing, and that links are being made with his state of health.

Martin McGuire said on the radio earlier today that Laine’s knee was “as swollen as his head” after the last game, and that he was clearly uncomfortable when he left the amphitheatre.

At this point, we’ll have to keep an eye on the player’s state of health over the next few days.

Because if Laine’s playoffs are over… the Habs will have to find a replacement for him.

And to beat the Capitals, it won’t be Oliver Kapanen who changes the outcome of the series.

More details to come…

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The CH almost recalled Florian Xhekaj for tonight’s game

It’s easy to say.

After two games against the Capitals… the Habs are getting shuffled around.

The Caps’ players are more physical, and that’s why the CH is getting roughed up. But…

But according to JiC, the CH tried to remedy the situation.

How?

By recalling Florian Xhekaj.

There have been intense conversations internally about whether or not Florian Xhekaj should be recalled. – Jean-Charles Lajoie

Let’s not forget that, after the trade deadline, the Habs didn’t use any of their four call-ups.

The CH is therefore entitled to unlimited recalls from Laval in the playoffs:

We know that the other’s brother is a physical player.

And we know that he had a superb first season as a professional in the American League.

But we also know that the Habs had the opportunity to insert Arber Xhekaj into the lineup if they needed to, and didn’t…

That’s why I’m a little surprised by this news .

In Florian Xhekaj, the CH wanted to bring in a player who could disrupt the opposition… But Arber can fill that role if needed too.

Because the oldest of the Xhekaj brothers has proven himself in the NHL, and the other players know him too.

Arber isn’t a celery stalk in the eyes of his opponents, because the guys know how physically dangerous he can be…

All in all, it would have been really special to see Florian play his first NHL game in the playoffs, because he’s got what it takes to be good in those circumstances.

He’s big, he hits… and those kind of players are rare in the Habs line-up.

I wonder if they’ll consider recalling him to the CH if the club gets shaken up again tonight…

Extension

Florian Xhekaj scored 24 times (!) and added eleven assists this season in Laval.

He’s made his name with the Rocket this season, to put it another way. And for a 20-year-old who was drafted in the 4th round, that’s something to celebrate.

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Martin McGuire: “Patrik Laine’s knee was as swollen as his head”

Patrik Laine isn’t playing great field hockey at the moment.

And there may be a reason behind it.

According to Martin McGuire(98.5 FM), the player had “a swollen knee the size of his head” after the CH’s last game in Washington.

According to McGuire, we’re talking about the left knee – the same one that was affected by a major injury during training camp.

Laine has decided not to undergo surgery for this injury.

For the moment, with less than two hours to go before the start of the game, we don’t know if he’ll be able to play tonight.

But if Martin McGuire’s comments are anything to go by…

(Credit: Getty Images)

Anything can happen, because right now, the Canadiens are in the playoffs.

And we know that in the playoffs, players are “capable” of participating in games even if they’re maganed.

Let’s not forget that Laine wasn’t at practice this morning, and that he looked uncomfortable earlier this week after receiving a check (to the knee) from a Washington Capitals player.

Knowing that his knee was ultra-swollen after the last game may give some clues for tonight.

And maybe it also means that his streak is over…