May 4, 2022

* After fueling up on “spicy pork and broccoli” between the first and second overtime periods, Louis Domingue was thrust into the Penguins net during the fifth frame of Game 1. With a full stomach and fresh legs, Domingue made 17 saves in relief as Pittsburgh prevailed in the first playoff overtime game of 2022, which spanned six periods and ended nearly five hours after it began.

* Igor Shesterkin stopped 79 shots – you read that correctly, 79 shots – which marked the second highest single-game total by an NHL goaltender on record.

* The Central and Pacific Division’s No. 1-seeded teams picked up a Game 1 victory, while the Capitals rallied past the Presidents’ Trophy winners to take a 1-0 series lead.
 

* The national funeral for Guy Lafleur took place in Montreal on Tuesday, where family, friends, former teammates and opponents said their final goodbyes to the Canadiens legend.

* ESPN announced that the Bruins-Hurricanes game on Monday was the most-viewed Game 1 of a first round series on cable since 2002; that the Lightning-Maple Leafs game averaged 466,000 viewers, up 115% from 2021; and that viewership of opening night was up 17% overall from 2019.

* The Blues and Kings are two of the four teams looking to take a 2-0 series lead Wednesday. The last time St. Louis and Los Angeles won each of the first two contests in a playoff round were en route to Stanley Cups in 2019 and 2014, respectively.
 

MALKIN SCORES WINNER AS PENGUINS, RANGERS OPEN SERIES WITH 3OT THRILLER
Evgeni Malkin (1-1—2) deflected a John Marino shot past goaltender Igor Shesterkin at 5:58 of the third overtime, powering Pittsburgh past New York in a playoff opener for the NHL record books which also featured Louis Domingue (17 saves) becoming the first netminder in League history to enter a postseason game in the second overtime period or later.



* Malkin became the third player in franchise history to score the winning goal in a contest which required three or more overtimes, joining Petr Nedved in Game 4 of the 1996 Conference Quarterfinals (139:15) and Petr Sykora in Game 5 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final (109:57).

* Malkin scored the second playoff overtime goal of his NHL career and first in nearly 13 years (also Game 5 of 2009 CSF). His 13 career game-winning goals in the postseason are tops among active players and one back of Jaromir Jagr (14) for the most in franchise history.



* Malkin’s marker was his 65th career playoff goal, moving him past Bobby Smith, Brian Propp, Peter Forsberg and Yvan Cournoyer (all w/ 64) and into sole possession of 23rd place on the League’s all-time list. Sidney Crosby collected two helpers Tuesday to reach 124 postseason assists in his NHL career, passing Jagr (123) and tying Sergei Fedorov for eighth place in League history.

* Domingue entered the game at 9:18 of the second overtime in relief of Casey DeSmith, who made 48 saves in his playoff debut at age 30. DeSmith became the sixth NHL goaltender on record to make 48+ saves in his first career postseason appearance.

MORE #NHLSTATS FROM GAME 1 AT “THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS ARENA”

* Igor Shesterkin (79 saves)became the first Rangers goaltender to record 70-plus saves in a game (since 1955-56 when shots on goal were officially tracked), shattering the franchise’s previous mark of 59 set by Mike Richter on Jan. 31, 1991 (regular season or playoffs). Shesterkin’s 79 saves are the second highest single-game total on record, behind the 85 by Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo during the 5OT thriller in Game 1 of the 2020 First Round.

Did You Know? Prior to shots on goal becoming an official NHL statistic, select games logged them – creating incomplete SOG data for those campaigns. One of those games happened to be the longest in NHL history, between the Montreal Maroons and Detroit Red Wings in Game 1 of the 1936 Semifinals when Red Wings goaltender Normie Smith was credited with 90 saves.

* The Penguins played their fifth-longest game in franchise history, while the 96-year-old Rangers skated in their seventh-lengthiest contest. It was also the third-longest NHL game ever contested at Madison Square Garden, behind Game 3 of the 1938 Quarterfinals (120:40) and Game 1 of the 1939 Semifinals (119:25).

* Pittsburgh and New York combined for 151 shots on goal, tied with the Lightning and Blue Jackets in their 2020 First Round opener for the highest combined total by two teams in an NHL game. The Penguins’ 83 shots were their most in franchise history and the League’s second highest single-game total on record, behind Tampa Bay in 2020 (88).

* Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (0-1—1) led all skaters with a TOI of 46:41, edging Rangers blueliners Adam Fox (1-0—1) and K’Andre Miller who concluded the contest at 44:28 apiece.

DIVISION-LEADING TEAMS EARN WINS, WHILE CAPITALS BEST TOP-SEEDED PANTHERS
The Avalanche and Flames, who concluded the regular season atop their respective division, picked up Game 1 wins Tuesday, while the Capitals bested the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Panthers to take a 1-0 lead in their First Round series.

* Nathan MacKinnon (2-1—3), Cale Makar (1-2—3) and Mikko Rantanen (0-3—3) each posted a three-point outing as Colorado erupted for seven goals – five of which came in the first period alone – to defeat Nashville in their 2022 First Round opener. MacKinnon (30-42—72 in 51 GP) eclipsed 70 career postseason points and became the fifth player in Avalanche/Nordiques franchise history to hit the mark.



* After leading the League with nine shutouts during the regular season, Jacob Markstrom made 16 saves to blank the Stars in his first playoff appearance with the Flames and give Calgary a Game 1 victory. Playing in front of the famed “C of Red” at Scotiabank Saddledome, Markstrom became the second goaltender in franchise history to record a shutout in a postseason opener, joining Mike Smith in Game 1 of the 2019 First Round.

* T.J. Oshie scored the winning goal as the Capitals rallied past the Panthers in their series opener, which marked Washington’s first third-period comeback win in the playoffs since its Stanley Cup-clinching victory in Game 5 of the 2018 Final. Oshie’s six career game-winning goals in the postseason trail only Alex Ovechkin (10) and Nicklas Backstrom (7) for the most in franchise history.

GUY LAFLEUR REMEMBERED AT NATIONAL FUNERAL IN MONTREAL
Family, friends, former teammates and opponents gathered Tuesday to pay their final respects at the national funeral for Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur, who passed away on April 22.

* The ceremony was held at Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, located across the street from the Queen Elizabeth Hotel where Lafleur was selected by the Canadiens with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 NHL Draft. Click here to read more.



QUICK CLICKS
 

* #NHLStats: Live Updates for Tuesday, May 3

* CHEL Intel – May 3
* Series Scenarios for Wednesday, May 4
* Kyle Clifford suspended one game by NHL for boarding in Maple Leafs game
* Pat Maroon, Corey Perry, Wayne Simmonds and Jared Spurgeon fined
* ESPN draws strong viewership for opening night of 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs

FOUR TEAMS EYE 2-0 SERIES LEAD WEDNESDAY
Four Game 2s go Wednesday, including the Blues and Kings looking to return home with consecutive road wins to open their First Round series. Teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven hold an all-time series record of 337-52 (.866), including an 84-20 (.808) mark when starting the series on the road (click here for more series scenarios ahead of Wednesday’s games).

* St. Louis can secure a 2-0 series lead for the first time since the 2019 First Round against Winnipeg and second time versus Minnesota, with the other instance occurring during the 2017 First Round when the Blues earned consecutive wins by a 2-1 margin at Xcel Energy Center. David Perron, who potted a hat trick in Game 1 versus Minnesota, can become the first player in franchise history with four goals through two games played in a postseason. The only other St. Louis skaters with three in their first two contests are Frank St. Marseille (1972), Brian Sutter (1982), Brett Hull (1988 & 1991), Jim Campbell (1998) and Vladimir Tarasenko (2015).

* Los Angeles looks to win each of the first two games in a playoff series for the first time since the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, when the Kings earned back-to-back overtime victories against the Rangers at STAPLES Center en route to their second championship in a three-year span. Trevor Moore (1-2—3), one of 17 players in the Los Angeles lineup Monday who wasn’t with the team in 2014, can become the fourth player with four-plus points through his first two playoff games with the Kings – he would join Daryl Evans (3-2—5 in 1982), Todd Elik (1-3—4 in 1990) and Paul Coffey (2-2—4 in 1992). Moore skated in seven postseason contests with Toronto before joining Los Angeles.

* Carolina has claimed a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series in two of the past three postseasons and six times overall in Hurricanes/Whalers franchise history (1987 DSF, 2002 CQF, 2006 CSF, 2006 SCF, 2019 R2 & 2021 R1). Seth Jarvis had a goal and an assist during his playoff debut in Game 1 and can become the seventh player in club history with three or more points through his first two career postseason contests, following Eric Staal (0-4—4 in 2006), Mark Howe (1-2—3 in 1980), Mike Rogers (0-3—3 in 1980), Todd Krygier (2-1—3 in 1990), Andrei Svechnikov (2-1—3 in 2019) and Lucas Wallmark (1-2—3 in 2019).

* The last time Toronto took each of the first two contests in a playoff series was during the 2002 Conference Quarterfinals, when the Maple Leafs followed up a 3-1 postseason-opening victory versus the Islanders with a 2-0 shutout in Game 2. Auston Matthews accounted for two of the Maple Leafs’ five unanswered goals in Game 1 versus the Lightning and can become the first Toronto player with three tallies through his first two contests in a playoff year since 2003, when Alexander Mogilny had four.

COURTESY NHLmedia.com