THN.com/podcast. From The Hockey News Podcast: Comebacks, Upsets and D.B. Sweeney The Florida Panthers celebrate Matthew Tkachuk's Game 5-winner, avoiding elimination to the Boston Bruins. They avoided a series defeat in Game 6 as well, forcing Game 7 on Sunday. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk3NjE3OTE0NTgzNDU5NjM0/usatsi_20545436.jpg] The Florida Panthers celebrate Matthew Tkachuk's Game 5-winner, avoiding elimination to the Boston Bruins. They avoided a series defeat in Game 6 as well, forcing Game 7 on Sunday. This spring, the NHL's playoff schedule-maker may have produced his finest work yet. He stretched the most energizing portion of the post-season out over more than two full weeks, with no back-to-backs for teams but multiple games for fans every single day. With enough time to rest and strategize, teams held up their end of the bargain as well. Seven of eight series went to at least six games, and we've got three Game 7s still to come. With that kind of entertainment overload, it's completely understandable if you've missed a moment or two because you have a job, need to walk the dog or decide you need to get some sleep from time to time. So, with the knowledge that three series could still have their biggest moments ahead in their winner-take-all final games, here's a look at the must-see TV moments from each series in Round 1 through Saturday, April 29. EASTERN CONFERENCE BRUINS VS. PANTHERS (TIED 3-3: GAME 7 SUNDAY AT 6:30 P.M. ET) The most memorable moment in this series is almost certainly coming on Sunday [https://thehockeynews.com/news/whats-happened-to-the-bruins-ahead-of-game-7-vs-the-panthers], whether the Bruins prevail or the Cats pull off a monumental upset. So far, Matthew Tkachuk has set the standard. He served notice that the Panthers weren't going to be an easy out when he scored his overtime-winner in Game 5 at TD Garden, where the Bruins only lost four games in regulation in the entire regular season. The uncharacteristically sloppy giveaway by Vezina Trophy front-runner Linus Ullmark on this play also turned out to be significant. Ullmark then struggled in Game 6, giving up six goals on 32 shots. It's no sure thing whether he'll start Game 7 or if Jim Montgomery will hand the keys to the series over to Jeremy Swayman. HURRICANES VS. ISLANDERS (HURRICANES WIN SERIES 4-2) Separated by 20 points in the standings, the Carolina Hurricanes had a clear edge over the New York Islanders going into this series — except for the Islanders having a goalie who can steal games in Ilya Sorokin and the Hurricanes being depleted up front due to long-term injuries to Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty. It wasn't until Carolina won Game 4 on the road, something they couldn't do last season, that they took control of the series. But the most memorable moment came in overtime of Game 2 when there was no penalty call after Jordan Martinook's stick came up on Scott Mayfield. Whether or not a call was warranted, the aggrieved party stopped playing while looking for a penalty. That's a decision that has come back to haunt multiple teams already in this post-season, including the Islanders. DEVILS VS. RANGERS (TIED 3-3: GAME 7 MONDAY AT 8 P.M. ET) With Game 7 now looming in the Hudson River rivalry, the most memorable moments to date have been Igor Shesterkin's do-everything approach to motivating his team in Game 5. It's not enough, apparently, to have a .939 save percentage and 1.79 goals-against average through six games. As the Rangers hit their low point in a 4-0 loss to the Devils on Thursday, Shesterkin took it upon himself to defend... ...motivate... ...and even try to score... The Rangers came back with a stronger effort to take Game 6, and Shesterkin was sensational. He and the Devils' Akira Schmid now sit 1 and 2 in goals saved above expected in Round 1, which sets up a thrilling Game 7 duel on Monday. MAPLE LEAFS VS. LIGHTNING (LEAFS WIN SERIES 4-2) With a massive honorable mention to the Leafs' erasure of "It was 4-1" with their Game 4 comeback and Alex Kerfoot's overtime-winner, it's impossible not to highlight the Game 6 series winner from John Tavares. The captain cracked the 19-year-old curse [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-playoffs-toronto-maple-leafs-advance-to-second-round-for-first-time-in-19-years] that had weighed so heavily on the Leafs and their fans. "Put pucks on net," they say. The 449th goal of Tavares's NHL career doesn't earn many style points, but will certainly go down as one of his most memorable. Five years into the monster seven-year deal that brought him to Toronto, those bedsheet dreams have finally come true. WESTERN CONFERENCE GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. JETS (GOLDEN KNIGHTS WIN SERIES 4-1) It's tempting to go with Michael Amadio's double-overtime winner in Game 3, which trumped the Jets' three-goal comeback to force extra time. It gave Vegas a 2-1 series lead and all the momentum. But after losing Game 1, the true turning point for the Golden Knights was Mark Stone's three-point performance in the second game of the series. After Stone missed three months following yet another surgical procedure on his back, no one knew how effective the Vegas captain would be when he got back into action as the playoffs began. And Game 1 did not go well. Stone was pointless and a minus-3 as the Jets kicked off the series with a 5-1 win. In Game 2, Stone got into gear. His teammates did the heavy lifting on the scoresheet, but his three third-period points, including two goals, were an unmistakable signal that he was ready to lead his team once again. By the time Vegas dispatched Winnipeg in Game 5 [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-playoffs-vegas-golden-knights-eliminate-winnipeg-jets-in-five-games], becoming the first team to advance to the second round, Stone had matched Chandler Stephenson as one of his team's leading scorers, with eight points in five games. OILERS VS. KINGS (OILERS WIN SERIES 4-2) Leon Draisaitl has been a playoff beast again, with a league-leading seven goals through six games. Kailer Yamamoto's game-winner late in the third period on Saturday carves out a slice of franchise lore for the often under-the-radar 24-year-old. And the Oilers exorcised an "It was 3-0" demon when Jack Campbell relieved Stuart Skinner in Game 4 and backstopped Edmonton to a 5-4 overtime win that tied the series. From there, the Oilers never looked back. But the most memorable moment of the six-game series against the Los Angeles Kings was the "what color is the dress" brain-teaser that came just ahead of Trevor Moore's overtime-winner in Game 3. Should the play have been blown dead because the puck touched Gabe Vilardi's high stick or not? The Oilers' three subsequent wins suggest the hockey gods believe they were robbed on the play. AVALANCHE VS. KRAKEN (TIED 3-3: GAME 7 SUNDAY AT 10:00 P.M. ET) This series has had its share of super-skilled scoring plays but also a pair of unfortunate injuries inflicted by unlikely perpetrators. Cale Makar and Jordan Eberle are both known more for their offensive prowess than for physical play or undisciplined hitting. But both could have used a moment of sober second thought. Makar injured Jared McCann in Game 4, earning a one-game suspension, and Eberle reportedly caused his one-time Edmonton Oilers teammate Andrew Cogliano to suffer a neck fracture [https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/avalanches-cogliano-has-fractured-neck-from-eberles-game-6-hit-out-indefinitely/] in Game 6. But let's aim in a more positive direction for the most memorable moment of this series so far. Eberle (of course) potted the overtime goal in Game 4 that sealed the Kraken's first playoff win in franchise history — and squashed the narrative that they were just happy to be there [https://thehockeynews.com/news/mackinnon-avalanche-spoil-seattles-playoff-coming-out-party]. STARS VS. WILD (STARS WIN SERIES 4-2) This series will be most remembered for Game 1, the double-overtime thriller that saw Filip Gustavsson make 51 saves in his NHL playoff debut and outduel 2022 scene-stealer Jake Oettinger as the Minnesota Wild took a 3-2 road win from the Dallas Stars. But if you blinked, you missed what came next. Oettinger and the Stars rebounded to win four of the next five games, outscoring the Wild by a collective margin of 19-11. With a .929 save percentage and 2.01 goals-against average, Oettinger's 4.3 goals saved above expected ranks first in the Western Conference to date, according to moneypuck.com [https://moneypuck.com/goalies.htm]. His most memorable moment was his 3-2 road win in Game 4, his first in the post-season back in his home state of Minnesota, in front of family and friends. Last season, Oettinger's playoff coming-out party ended at the hands of Johnny Gaudreau in overtime of Game 7 against the Calgary Flames. Now, he and the Stars are through one round and will face the winner of Colorado versus Seattle. How much farther can they go?
