In the 1st round of the NHL playoffs, striker Jakub Voráček scored the only goal of the match, which arranged for the Philadelphia hockey players to win 1-0 over Montreal and lead in the series 2: 1. Chicago defeated Vegas 3: 1, averted the first threat of elimination and reduced the series to 1: 3. Defender of the trophy Louis won for the first time since the NHL restart, beating Vancouver 3: 2 in overtime and losing only 1: 2 in the series.
Voráček made his mark in the sixth minute when he bounced off his body into the goal of throwing Claude Giroux from the left circle. “This is an agreed action,” said Voracek, who scored two of Philadelphia’s three goals in a series. In both cases, thanks to excellent work in front of the goal.
Take a look at Voráček’s intervention:
The rest was provided by the biggest star of the match, Carter Hart. The Philadelphia goalkeeper, who was replaced in the last match in a 0: 5 loss, defeated 23 shots and scored the first zero in the playoffs. He was also lucky, because Montreal hit the goal structure five times.
“We know we didn’t do our best in the second match, it was a long way from the limit of our abilities. This time we started well, set the tone of the match and scored the first goal, the only one in the match. We fought the whole match and beat them,” said Hart.
He became the youngest goalkeeper in the history of the Flyers, who picked up a clean sheet in the playoffs. He succeeded three days after his 22nd birthday. “He is mentally resilient. Even if he has a bad match, he will always come back strong. It’s impressive. This is what good goalkeepers do,” Voracek praised him. Philadelphia kept zero in the playoffs after four years, when Michal Neuvirth shone with a flawless performance.
Montreal advanced to the playoffs from the last position, but plays a balanced game with Philadelphia. “Both teams don’t give a damn. They had a few overpowering games in the first period, so we couldn’t get into the pace like last time. We hit a few sticks, the result could have been different, “said temporary coach Kirk Muller.
Chicago has already developed a two-goal lead in the beginning. The score was opened by Drake Caggiula, who took advantage of Olli Määtta’s pass from the back guard with a shot from the area in front of the goal. Matthew Highmore increased the visitors’ lead by putting a volley away after a pass from the right. The Blackhawks took the lead in the match for the first time in the series, and Dominik Kubalík had not changed two chances yet.
“They were waiting for their chances and small mistakes to attack. They have good players for that. Paradoxically, we played the best match in the series, but we lost,” said Lehner, who scored the second goal. “Hockey is a game of mistakes and I made one. It was a good shot, but I have to have one,” he added.
Vegas, whose lineup again saw Tomáš Nosek, soon reduced – Shea Theodore hit the top corner from the blue line. The hero of the match Corey Crawford, who covered 48 shots, did not let go of another goal. Chicago secured the win up to eleven seconds before the end, when Alex DeBrincat won the game without a goalkeeper.
“It’s great to have our first win, it will boost our confidence,” said Crawford, who led Chicago to win the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015. However, he was not yet under such fire in the playoffs, unless the match went into overtime. “I’ve seen most of the shots. Some until the last minute, but the boys also blocked them perfectly. If we want to go back to the series, we have to play like that all the time,” he said.
St. Louis lost all three games in the group for the playoffs, and subsequently lost the first two games with Vancouver. The defender defended the first point in the series, winning him in the 76th minute from a solo escape by Brayden Schenn. The Blues made a change in the goal before the duel: the builder of last year’s triumph Jordan Binnington, who received nine goals from Vancouver in two games, was replaced by Jake Allen.
All goals in regular time fell in the second period. Vancouver opened the scoring score with a JT Miller goal. St. Louis turned the situation around with hits by Justin Faulk and David Perron. However, the Blues did not rejoice in the lead for a long time, Elias Pettersson equalized in 37 seconds.
1. kolo play off NHL:
Eastern Conference (Toronto):
Montreal – Philadelphia 0:1 (0:1, 0:0, 0:0)
Goal: 6. Voráček. Shots on goal: 23:20. Played without spectators. Match stars: 1. Hart, 2. Provorov (both Philadelphia), 3. S. Weber (Montreal). Series condition: 1: 2.
Western Conference (Edmonton):
Chicago – Vegas 3:1 (2:1, 0:0, 1:0)
Goals: 5. Caggiula, 14. Highmore, 60. DeBrincat – 14. Theodore. Shots on goal: 25:49. Played without spectators. Match stars: 1. Crawford, 2. Highmore (both Chicago), 3. Theodore (Vegas). Series condition: 1: 3.
Vancouver – St. Louis 2: 3 in overtime (0: 0, 2: 2, 0: 0 – 0: 1)
Goals: 22. JT Miller, 39. E. Pettersson – 29. Faulk, 39. Perron, 76. B. Schenn. Shots on goal: 41:49. Played without spectators. Match stars: 1. B. Schenn (St. Louis), 2. Markström, 3. Pettersson (both Vancouver). Series status: 2: 1.
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