In the Stanley Cup qualifying tournament, the first holder of a ticket to the main round of the competition was determined. Carolina won their third straight win against the Rangers and secured a spot in the top eight in the Eastern Conference. The nominal guests prevailed with a score of 4: 1, and Andrey Svechnikov took part in one of the effective attacks of the team.
On the eve of the match, the Rangers had every reason to count on a better outcome, since the main goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin returned to service, having missed the first two meetings of the series. On the eve of the first match, he was injured and could not help his partners, and his place in the goal was taken by the experienced Henrik Lundqvist. True, the Swedish veteran failed to demonstrate his usual level and conceded seven goals in two games.
At the beginning of the reporting match, the opponents acted extremely cautiously, so in the first period the spectators did not wait for the goals. But in the opening of the second "Rangers" and "Hurricanes" exchanged accurate hits. Chris Krider opened the score after a spectacular solo passage, but after three minutes Teivo Teravainen restored parity. Svechnikov received a pass from the left post, but noticed the Finn's opening and made a pass. He threw from an uncomfortable hand and caught the Russian goalkeeper by surprise.
In the third period, Shesterkin conceded twice more. True, you shouldn't blame him for all the goals conceded. In the episode with the second goal, the defenders did not prevent Warren Vogel from substituting the stick for Brady Neck's throw, and in the moment with the third, Jacob Truba made a gross mistake. An expensive defender ($ 8 million a year) made a loss in his own zone and allowed Sebastian Aho to “shoot” the Russian.
31 seconds before the final siren, Aho took advantage of Artemiy Panarin's oversight and struck the opponent's already empty net. Sebastian scored eight (3 + 5) points and became the leader of the Stanley Cup scorers race. Svechnikov is also located nearby, whose assets include three goals and two assists.
As for Panarin, he had a great chance to excel in the first period, but could not beat James Rymer. In the remaining time, the Russian bothers the reserve goalkeeper of Carolina four more times and spent more than five minutes in unequal compositions, but failed to distinguish himself. At the end of the meeting, his utility rate was "-2". His compatriot Pavel Buchnevich has the same number.
Unlike their fellow countrymen, the Islanders won their second consecutive win against Florida. The focus was again on the duel of two Russian goalkeepers - Varlamov and Bobrovsky. This time Semyon lost to his compatriot in the number of saves (26-30), but conceded two goals less. The Panthers lost 2: 4 and were just one step away from relegation.
By the middle of the meeting, Florida was leading with a minimal advantage, thanks to precise hits by Mike Hoffman and Alexander Barkov, but that was where her successes ended. Until the end of the second period, the Panthers conceded twice, and the final score in the 51st minute was set by Jordan Eberle, who made a double. The Islanders also featured Matt Martin and Ryan Pullock.
Unlike Svechnikov and Varlamov, Dmitry Kulikov was unable to help his team win. take the lead in the series with Calgary. "Winnipeg" in the second match of the series with "Calgary" created a sensation and won in the absence of their leaders, but they failed to repeat the success of the "Jets". Jeff Ward's squad hit the opponent's goal six times, conceding only twice.
Kulikov had a hand in Winnipeg's first goal. The Russian made a fantastic pass across the entire area and brought Nikolai Ehlers to a rendezvous with the opponent's goalkeeper. He easily outplayed Cam Talbot and opened an account. Dmitry spent more than 22 minutes on the ice in total and finished the meeting with a usefulness index of "-1"
Also, the meeting was remembered for the injury of the Jets defender Tucker Pullman. In the second period, the hockey player made a desperate attempt to block the opponent's shot, but the puck hit him in the face. The American lost several teeth and was forced to leave the site to stop the bleeding. Later, he returned to the ice despite severe damage.
The fans watched another peculiar Russian confrontation in the match between Toronto and Columbus, in which Ilya Mikheev and Vladislav Gavrikov took the ice. True, they could not be noted for effective actions. As a result, Maple Leafs threw three unanswered goals into the opponent's goal, and the leaders of the team said the final word. Auston Matthews scored a goal and an assist, and John Tavares and Morgan Reilly also scored once. The Canadian team redeemed their failure in the first game and evened the score in the series.
In other matches of the day, Nashville beat Arizona - 4: 2 and leveled the score in the series (1: 1), and Vancouver beat Minnesota - 4: 3 (the score in the series is also 1: 1).