It's crunch time for Canada's NHL playoff teams & More News Here

Calgary vs. Dallas

Scoring could be up within the NHL lately, however not on this collection. The Flames and Stars are averaging a mixed 3.5 targets per recreation — a full three targets beneath the league common for these playoffs. The main scorers on every workforce — Johnny Gaudreau for Calgary, Joe Pavelski for Dallas — are tied for thirtieth general with simply 4 factors apiece. Conversely, the goalies — Dallas’ Jake Oettinger and Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom — are the highest two in save share.

The silver lining to the dearth of fireworks is that this could be the one actually shut collection. Yes, six of the eight first-round matchups are tied 2-2. But, as we talked about in yesterday’s publication, there have been a ton of blowouts. The common margin of victory in each different collection is not less than three targets. In Calgary-Dallas, it is two. And all three of the multi-goal wins have been capped by empty-netters, so the video games have been even nearer than that common suggests.

WATCH | Flames stage collection with Stars:

Gaudreau’s magnificent penalty shot leads Flames previous Stars

Calgary beats Dallas 4-1 and ties their first spherical collection at 2-2. Johnny Gaudreau scores on a penalty shot throughout the third interval. 0:49

Edmonton vs. Los Angeles

This collection is the anti Calgary-Dallas. Since L.A.’s 4-3 win in Game 1, we have been handled to blowouts of six, six and 4 targets. The common victory margin is a whopping 4.25 targets — half a purpose larger than in another collection. Game 4 was fairly typical: after shedding by six targets in back-to-back video games, the Kings blanked Edmonton 4-0. Go determine.

The strain is on the Oilers as a result of they entered the collection as fairly large favourites and so they have the 2 greatest gamers. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have captured 5 of the final six regular-season scoring titles, however they’ve gained just one playoff collection throughout a partnership that is now in its seventh 12 months. Through 4 video games vs. the Kings, each guys have but to go off for greater than two factors in an evening. McDavid has six factors however only one purpose, whereas Draisaitl has three targets and one help.

This, nevertheless, would possibly really be factor. The large knock on the McDavid/Draisaitl-era Oilers has at all times been their lack of a supporting forged. So it is good to see Evander Kane presently topping the workforce playoff scoring desk with six factors on the energy of 5 targets — together with a hat trick in Game 3. Another encouraging signal for Edmonton is that they’ve outscored L.A. by seven targets on this collection.

Game 5 goes tonight at 10 p.m. ET in Edmonton. Watch it dwell on the CBC TV community, CBCSports.ca and the CBC Sports app.

WATCH | Kings’ Quick slams door on Oilers in Game 4:

Grundstrom and the Kings shut down Oilers, even collection at 2-2

Carl Grundstrom’s two targets helped Los Angeles shut out Edmonton 4-0, because the collection is now tied 2-2. 2:57

Toronto vs. Tampa Bay

Here’s one other collection that is tied 2-2, seems to be evenly matched, and but nearly each result’s lopsided. The Leafs and Lightning have but to play a one-goal recreation, and the typical victory margin is 3.5 targets. True, Toronto’s 5-2 win in Game 3 was augmented by a pair of empty-netters, however Game 4 was an honest-to-goodness blowout: Tampa raced out to a 5-0 lead early within the second interval earlier than cruising to a 7-3 win. 

They say that to win the Cup, your greatest gamers must be your greatest gamers. The Leafs test that field proper now with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner main the workforce with six factors apiece. Marner’s manufacturing is particularly encouraging, as there have been issues that his small body would possibly simply not be minimize out for the trials of playoff hockey after he failed to attain a single purpose in 12 post-season video games over the previous two years. But Toronto wants extra from captain John Tavares within the attacking zone. He has no targets and solely two assists on this collection — not the bounce-back Tavares hoped for after his 2021 playoffs have been minimize extraordinarily brief by an inadvertent (however no much less brutal) knee to the top from Montreal’s (and now Tampa Bay’s) Corey Perry.

A few large names are struggling to get on the scoresheet on the Tampa Bay aspect too. Steven Stamkos, who scored a team-best 42 targets within the common season, lastly acquired his first of the playoffs in Game 4. Brayden Point has just one purpose and one help by 4 video games. Nikita Kucherov, who gained the playoff scoring title in each of the Lightning’s Stanley Cup victories in 2020 and ’21, has a modest one purpose and 4 assists.

Game 5 goes tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET in Toronto. Watch it dwell on the CBC TV community, CBCSports.ca and the CBC Sports app.

WATCH | Lightning rating 7 in Game 4 to even collection with Leafs:

Ross Colton leads the best way as Lightning even up collection with Leafs

A pair of targets by Ross Colton lifts Tampa Bay to a 7-3 win over Toronto, night the collection at 2-2. 1:31