The Carolina Hurricanes are only one victory away from validating their ticket for the final table of the 2020 play-offs. On Monday, they again dominated the New York Rangers (4-1) thanks to a hat-trick from Andrei Svechnikov, the first of his NHL career, and an assist from Sebastian Aho on each of those three goals.
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The situation is desperate for the Rangers. In NHL history, a team led 0-2 in a best-of-five series has only managed to qualify once in 56 occurrences. The New York players will not have much time to think about it since Game 3 will take place this Tuesday.
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In the day’s other playoff series in the East, the Pittsburgh Penguins came back to success everywhere against the Montreal Canadiens. A goal from Sidney Crosby in the fifth minute put Pittsburgh on track for a 3-1 victory.
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In the West, the Winnipeg Jets are also one win across the Calgary Flames. A goal from Nikolaj Ehlers on the power play made the difference ten minutes from the end in favor of the Jets (3-2). The Edmonton Oilers relied on a hat-trick from Conor McDavid to gain the upper hand over the Chicago Blackhawks (6-3).
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Vegas knocking down, four players kneeling
In the classification groups, the Tampa Bay Lightning needed a penalty shootout to defeat the Washington Capitals (3-2 tab) and the Vegas Golden Knights were stunning against the Dallas Stars. Led 1-3 at the start of the last period, they scored three times in five minutes, including a spectacular goal from William Carrier, back to the cage, to regain the advantage before William Carson ensured the success in empty cage (5-3).
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Note that before this match, four players dropped to one knee during the anthems: Ryan Reaves and Robin Lehner on the Vegas side, Jamie Benn and Jason Dickinson for Dallas. This is a first in the NHL world. Matt Dumba (Minnesota Wild) had made this gesture on Saturday but before a game where he had simply delivered a speech and where his team did not participate.
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