2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Game Recaps, Previews, How to Watch, Schedule and Day 22 Open Thread

Every day during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Canes Country recaps the night before, previews the games for that night, and gives you game times and broadcast information.

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Saturday’s Recaps

Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images

Ottawa Senators 5, New York Rangers 4 (OT) (OTT leads 3-2)

A first performance by the Ottawa Senators lifted them to a 3-2 series lead over the New York Rangers as they were victorious by a 5-4 score in overtime.

Kyle Turris scored the winning goal, and Derick Brassard scored a fluky goal late in the third to tie the the game. Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, and Tom Pyatt also tallied for the winners. Goalie Craig Anderson stopped 29 of 33 in the winning effort.

New York's goals came from Jesper Fast, Nick Holden, Ryan McDonagh, and Jimmy Vesey. Vesey’s goal looked to be an incredible save by Anderson, but replay showed that the puck had crossed the goal line before Anderson gloved it. The Rangers also looked like they had won the game about a minute before Turris’ overtime winner, but Michael Grabner batted the puck into the net with a high stick, and replay upheld the no-goal call on the ice.

The game's central intrigue revolved around Ottawa's curious decision to include Chris Neil in the lineup in response to New York's move to put Tanner Glass in. Neil skated less than three minutes, challenged Glass to a fight, was turned down, and took a penalty in the process. It looked like the Rangers had firmly won the mental game then and there, but that didn't stop their defense from collapsing once again.

The Senators now have to wait until Tuesday for their chance to advance to their first Eastern Conference Final since 2007. Game time will be determined by the result of tonight’s Predators/Blues game. -Kyle Morton

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Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Capitals 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 2 (PIT leads 3-2)

And so, we shall have a game 6. This game, like those previous in this series, was a rollercoaster through and through, ending with the Capitals defeating the Penguins 4-2 thanks to a crucial third period push at Verizon Center.

If you only watched the first period of this one, you probably thought it would be more of the same. A Carl Hagelin wrist shot halfway through the frame and more than a few strong shifts from Sidney Crosby had the visitors' bench energized, and it seemed as though they would dictate the remainder of the game. But Andre Burakovsky had a few things to say about that just before the end of the period, scoring on a beautiful toe-drag play as he fired a wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury.

With the game tied going into the second, the Pens once again looked to take over the game. At 4:20 of the frame, a Phil Kessel power play goal after some tic-tac-toe passing once again had the Penguins near the finish line as they bottled up the Caps offense in the middle frame.

But the third period was all Capitals. And it was the real Capitals. You know, the team with Braden Holtby stopping everything in sight, Alex Ovechkin driving the bus, and Evgeny Kuznetsov/Nicklas Backstrom reminding you that Washington's scoring goes deeper than just #8. Backstrom got the comeback started with a goal just over two minutes in, followed five minutes later by goals 27 seconds apart from Kuznetsov and Ovechkin. All the while, Holtby made a few key saves to keep, and even build, the momentum in the Caps' favor as they surged to their first home win of the series.

Holtby stopped 20 of 22 shots in the win, while Fleury turned aside 28 of 30. Game 6 will see the teams back in Pittsburgh on Monday night. -Peter Dewar

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Sunday’s Previews

Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

St. Louis Blues at Nashville Predators (NSH leads 3-2)
3:00 p.m. ET, NBC

1. Standout in Net: The St. Louis Blues fought off elimination at home in Game 5 behind a terrific performance from Jake Allen in net. That effort was needed as Pekka Rinne continued his tremendous play in goal for the Predators. Each game in this series, at least since Game 1, has brought with it very solid play in net, and that trend should continue as the Predators try to clinch their first ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals on home ice in Game 6.
2. Home Sweet Home: For the Predators, there certainly has been no place like home ice in these playoffs. Through four games at Bridgestone Arena, the Predators are a sparkling 4-0 and have averaged three goals a game in their own barn. Not dominant offensive numbers, but that give you a good idea of how strong they have been defensively and in net at home, as they have yielded a total of just five goals in four playoffs games at home. They will try to stay undefeated and avoid a return trip to St. Louis to face their first elimination game of the playoffs.
3. Wake Up! Both teams are on a bit of a shorter turnaround for Game 6 than they were for Game 5 which came after an extra travel day. Along with that, today's game begins at 2:00 local time. Fatigue may not be an issue, but coming with the correct focus and intensity is something that is paramount for both teams. In Game 5 the Blues notched the first goal of the game for the first time in the series. Jumping out on top, and with it potentially dampening the crowd in Nashville, will certainly be a key for the Blues. Can they start their own trend of getting on the board first? -Andy House

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Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers (ANA leads 3-2)
7:00 p.m. ET, NBCSN

1. Big Mo: Momentum hasn't existed in this series, or at least it hasn't lasted long. Edmonton won games one and two, Anaheim then came back and won games 3, 4 and 5, and now the Oilers look to stay alive on home ice tonight. In each of the past three games, a team has blown a lead of two or more goals, including Game 5 where the Oilers blew a 3-0 lead with under four minutes to go in regulation. Anaheim appears to be in a considerably advantageous situation here, but if we've learned on thing from this series, things can change quickly.
2. History Going Against the Ducks: The Ducks are no strangers to 3-2 series leads, they've blown that very same lead in each of the last four playoffs, each time as the higher seed. Edmonton is a young team with very little to lose at this point. If any team can do this to the Ducks for a fifth consecutive season, it's the Oilers.
3. Stopping Anaheim and Line Adjustments: The Oilers did a marvelous job at keeping the Ducks at bay in Game 5, at least for 56 minutes. With Andrej Sekera, a huge piece on their blue line who has routinely logged north of 22 minutes of ice time per game, out tonight after leaving early in Game 5 with an injury, Edmonton will need help from all areas. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have all been split up and playing on different lines as of late, so it willll be interesting to see if Edmonton continues to employ that strategy or if they'll look to bolster the top line by combining McDavid and Draisaitl at even strength. -Brett Finger