NHL Public Relations
April 27, 2023
* Matthew Tkachuk tallied the overtime winner after the Panthers surrendered three separate leads as Florida earned another win at TD Garden and forced Game 6 in its First Round series.
* Fresh off leading all American Hockey League rookies in scoring this season, Tye Kartye made his NHL debut in Game 5 for the Kraken and found the back of the net as Seattle now sits one win away from eliminating the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
* League trends continued as we saw the 11th overtime game and road teams improved to 23-14 – tied for the most road wins at this stage of any postseason (23 in 2012). The records for most road wins in the opening round (30) and a single playoff year (47) were also established in 2012.
* The Lightning look to stave off elimination and force a Game 6 against the Maple Leafs. The 2023 First Round can become the fifth in NHL history to feature seven or more series require at least six games. The only ones to do so to date: 2022 First Round (7), 2010 Conference Quarterfinals (7), 1992 Division Semifinals (8) and 1991 Division Semifinals (8).
TKACHUK TALLIES OVERTIME WINNER AS PANTHERS PREVAIL TO FORCE GAME 6
Matthew Tkachuk (1-1—2) scored the sixth overtime goal in franchise playoff history and first in a contest where Florida faced elimination as the Panthers forced a Game 6 against the 65-win Bruins. The 2023 First Round became the fourth round in NHL history to feature eight series requiring at least one overtime game, joining the 2017 First Round (8), 2013 Conference Quarterfinals (8) and 2001 Conference Quarterfinals (8).
* Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe (0-3—3) became the fifth and sixth players in NHL history with multiple points in a potential elimination contest against a 60-win team, joining the Islanders’ quartet of Jude Drouin (1-1—2), Billy Harris (1-1—2), J.P. Parise (1-1—2) and Dave Lewis (0-2—2) versus the Canadiens during Game 5 of the 1977 Semifinals. Verhaeghe also became the first player in franchise history with three points in a contest where Florida faced elimination.
* Sergei Bobrovsky made 44 saves, including a series-saving stop on Brad Marchand inthe dying seconds of regulation on a breakaway, to earn his fifth career playoff victory versus a 60-win team (also 4 vs. 2019 TBL) and pass Patrick Roy (4 vs. 1996 DET) for the most in NHL history. Bobrovsky’s 44 saves also matched the third highest single-game total in franchise playoff history.
KARTYE HAS A DEBUT FOR THE AGES IN KRAKEN GAME 5 VICTORY
After being recently named the winner of the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the leading scorer among rookies in the American Hockey League, Tye Kartye (1-0—1) had an NHL debut to remember by netting one of his team’s three goals and helping the Kraken push the reigning Stanley Cup-champion Avalanche to the brink of elimination.
* Kartye was already in Colorado prior to Game 5 as the Coachella Valley Firebirds were squaring off against the Colorado Eagles in the Pacific Division Semifinals of the 2023 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs. His parents – in attendance for their son’s special moment – drove from Kingston to Toronto, hopped the first flight they could and arrived to the game a few minutes late but in time for his goal.
“A year and a half ago this was my wildest dream, so this day’s been pretty special.”
* Seattle, which scored first for the fifth straight game to start the series, returns to Climate Pledge Arena for Game 6 on Friday with the opportunity to become the first team in NHL history to defeat the reigning Stanley Cup champions in their first-ever postseason series and second at any point during their first playoff appearance (Maroons defeated Victoria Cougars in the 1926 Stanley Cup Final). The four previous franchises that failed to do so in their first-ever series are the Blue Jackets (2009 CQF vs. DET), Capitals (1983 DSF vs. NYI), Whalers (1980 PRLM vs. MTL) and Americans (1929 QF vs. NYR).
QUICK CLICKS
* Tuesday’s doubleheader on ESPN delivers strong viewership numbers
* NHL announces start times for Stanley Cup Playoff games on April 28
* Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad feel ‘pressure’ to score for Rangers entering Game 5
*Roope Hintz showing Stars he’s ‘built for the playoffs’
* Red Wings, Wild, Senators and Maple Leafs headline 2023 NHL Global Series – Sweden
MAPLE LEAFS, GOLDEN KNIGHTS CAN ADVANCE TO SECOND ROUND ON THURSDAY
Toronto and Vegas can become the first teams to punch its ticket to the Second Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday, while New Jersey and New York head back across the Hudson River to battle it out for a 3-2 series lead. Teams that hold a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven round own an all-time series record of 299-31 (.906), including a 3-1 mark in 2022 (0-1 in 2022 R1).
* The Maple Leafs can become the first team to snap a streak of eight-plus consecutive series losses since the Islanders did so against the Panthers in Game 6 of the 2016 First Round, when current Toronto captain John Tavares tallied the double-overtime clincher. The Maple Leafs, whose last series-clinching win was versus the Senators in Game 7 of the 2004 Conference Quarterfinals, can also end their 0-10 skid in potential closeout games since then – that marks the second longest such drought in NHL history behind the Coyotes/Jets franchise from 1987 to 2012 (0-13).
* The Golden Knights own an all-time record of 7-8in potential series-clinching games and can become the fifth franchise in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to earn at least one series win in four of their first five postseason appearances – they would join the Ducks, Islanders, Sabres and Blues. Shea Theodore (3-7—10 in 15 GP) and William Karlsson (2-8—10 in 15 GP) lead Vegas with 10 points apiece through its 15 all-time potential closeout games.
* The Rangers and Devils will contest a pivotal Game 5 at Prudential Center, where Igor Shesterkin backstopped New York to a 2-0 series lead before Akira Schmid helped New Jersey pull even with consecutive victories at Madison Square Garden. When a best-of-seven round is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 holds an all-time series record of 224-61 (.786) including a 5-3 mark in 2022 (4-2 in R1).
COURTESY NHLmedia.com
