East Division Second Round
4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET — Boston Bruins at New York Islanders
Game 3, Series tied 1-1
NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
If you picked the New York Islanders to be the team that tested the Boston Bruins’ depth this postseason, I’m not sure I would’ve believed you, but Game 2 exposed Boston’s reliance on their top line and now the series moves to Long Island tied. After appearing in two losses in Round 1, Semyon Varlamov backstopped the 4-3 overtime victory, likely a reassurance for an Islanders team who has been relying on a rookie goaltender.
Speaking of goaltenders, Boston’s Tuukka Rask may have been dealing with a nagging injury in Game 2, but he still made 35 saves on 39 shots.
Central Division Second Round
5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET — Carolina Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning
Game 3, Lightning lead 2-0
USA, SN, TVAS
The Tampa Bay Lightning pulled out identical 2-1 wins, bringing the series to Amalie Arena with an encouraging 2-0 series lead. But those wins were close, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is going to continue to feel the heat in Game 3. The Carolina Hurricanes have yet to score at 5-on-5 in this series, but they’ve put 101 unblocked shots and attempts on the Bolts at 5-on-5, compared to Tampa’s 81.
Carolina is overdue for a win, but they’re also feeling the results of a playoff run; Nino Niederreiter is likely out for the rest of the series and Vincent Trocheck is questionable after colliding with teammate Warren Foegele.