The Finns from Dallas scored seven points against Colorado. The New York Rangers already lead the series against the Carolina Hurricanes 3–0.
The Finns of the Dallas Stars played the main role when the team defeated the Colorado Avalanche at home in the second round of the NHL playoffs 5–3 and leveled the match series at 1–1.
Miro Heiskanen succeeded twice by superior force and Roope Hintz gathered the terrible powers 1+3.
Heiskanes became the second defenseman in club history to score two goals in two NHL playoff games. The same thing has happened before Sergei Zubovwho played for the Stars in the first decade of the 2000s.
In addition to the Finnish defender, only Brian Glynn (in 1991) has scored two overtime goals in one playoff match in club history.
Hintz reached a three-point playoff game for the seventh time in the NHL. Only the Finns have been able to do better Esa Tikkanen (ten matches) and Jari Kurri (28).
Heiskanen was chosen as the number one star of the match before Hintz.
The letter from Colorado was not enough
Heiskanen started the scoring with dominance in the opening set, when he flicked the puck into the net from the p-point from Hintz’s cross pass.
Hintz doubled Dallas’ lead early in the second period when he hit a goal near the back post.
When the game had been played for sixteen minutes, Heiskanen hit again with superiority, this time with a precise wrist shot from the linesman’s place. Hitz registered a passing point in the goal.
At the end of the second set Tyler Sequin managed to underpower and gave Dallas a 4–0 lead.
Colorado got into gear in the final set. When the set had been played for four minutes, Joel Kiviranta sohi into the loose puck from the corner of the goal. The hit was the Finn’s first in the spring playoffs.
Brandon Duhaime scored Colorado’s second goal a little later, and Valery Nitshusky brought the team to the goal with four minutes left to play.
The Avalanche got the upper hand at the end of the period, and frantically searched for an equalizer without a goalie.
Esa Lindell let Dallas off the hook when he nailed Endings into an empty net. Hintz got an assist for this hit as well.
Finns on the brink of summer vacation
The reigning champion of the regular season, the New York Rangers, already came within a win of the semifinals of the Eastern Conference, when they beat the Carolina Hurricanes in the first overtime, 3–2. Rangers lead the match series bluntly 3–0.
The decisive goal was scored by the star striker of Rangers Artemi Panarinwho directed by Vincent Trocheck passed the puck between his legs into the goal, when the overtime was a couple of minutes behind.
Carolina took the lead in the match By Jake Guentzel hit in the opening set, but Chris Kreider and Alexis Lafreniere took the Rangers to the scene.
Carolina was close to losing the match in regulation time, but Andrei Svechnikov tied the match at 2–2 in the penultimate minute of the third period, when the team was looking for an equalizer without a goalkeeper. Sebastian Aho recorded an assist in the goal.
Carolina shot as many as 47 times in the match by Igor Shestjorkin guarded goal. New York recorded 25 shots per game in its first playoff game this spring Pyotr Kochetkov.
Hurricanes head coach by Rod Brind’Amour according to the team plays brilliantly on a level playing field, but the underpowered and overpowered playing sucks like in the previous games.
Carolina was able to play five times with superiority, but did not succeed in scoring. Rangers’ Chris Kreider hit with an underpowered shot to make the game 1–1.
– We don’t play special situations well. You have to give credit to the opposition, they will figure them out nicely. Our first possessions looked good, then we conceded a goal, Brind’Amour said.
– The same story in three matches. It’s sad for the players because I think we’re playing really well. Except for special situations, they have done everything right.
The teams will meet next time early on Sunday Finnish time.