Monday’s results
Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Boston Bruins 2 (series tied 1-1): Tampa’s prospects of moving on in the series if they trailed it 2-0 heading to Boston would have been very poor. Instead, the Lightning rallied after a rough outing in a 6-2 loss on Saturday. Brayden Point, whose name you will read a few times here, was stellar putting up four points after throwing up a dud with a minus-5 on Saturday. Point’s line with Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat combined for seven points in the game as Boston’s top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak struggled to find the same form they displayed in a combined 11-point Game 1.
Vegas Golden Knights 4, San Jose Sharks 3 OT (Vegas leads series 2-1): A third-third period comeback from the San Jose Sharks seemed to have them in the driver’s seat heading into overtime as they sought a second-straight victory in the free hockey periods. But it was a combination of Marc-Andre Fleury’s brilliance in goal and William Karlsson’s theatrics on offense that thwarted San Jose’s momentum and gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 series lead.
Three stars
Brayden Point, Lightning: A bit of a no-brainer here. Point was on fire on Monday, redeeming a particularly unsightly effort on Saturday with a four-point game. Point assisted on each of Tampa’s first three goals in the game and then plunged the final dagger in the Bruins with an empty-net goal late to cap off an impressive outing.
Marc Andre-Fleury, Golden Knights: Shelled once again on Monday night, Fleury was simply sensational, including a ridiculous save in overtime to keep the Golden Knights in the game. Fleury has yet to see fewer than 30 shots in a playoff game this year yet he holds a 6-1 record with a .960 save percentage.
William Karlsson, Golden Knights: What can you say about Wild Bill that hasn’t been said this season? No one expected him to do what he’s doing yet there he is, producing highlight after highlight, as was the case on Monday’s overtime winner. Karlsson’s goal to end overtime was unstoppable, a perfectly placed shot as he rushed down his off-wing and nestled the puck on the opposite side of Martin Jones, who had no chance.
Highlights of the Night
This filth from Wild Bill:
This insanity from Fleury:
EK9 with a beauty short side:
Andrei Vasilevskiy magic:
The perfect example of why stretching is ever so important. #StanleyCup
— NHL (@NHL) May 1, 2018
Watch #BOSvsTBL live:
🇺🇸 NBCSN: https://t.co/55qxlxmgQf
🇨🇦 CBC: https://t.co/KyBuLJxATk pic.twitter.com/JgkO83CL9p
Factoids of the Night
Point is just the third player in @TBLightning franchise history to collect at least four points in the playoffs:
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 1, 2018
Tyler Johnson (2-2—4 in Game 2 of the 2016 FR vs. DET) and Vincent Lecavalier (1-3—4 in Game 2 of the 2011 CF at BOS). #NHLStats #BOSvsTBL #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/Z8ssDRyZkZ
Reilly Smith and William Karlsson are the second set of teammates in NHL history to each have a point streak of 5+ GP in their team’s first #StanleyCup Playoffs appearance.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 1, 2018
Also: Dave Lowry (5-5—10 in 7 GP) and Jason Woolley (2-5—7 in 5 GP) w/ FLA in 1996. #NHLStats #VGKvsSJS pic.twitter.com/341NuerwV2
Tuesday’s schedule
Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:30 p.m. ET, (NBCSN) -- series tied 1-1
Nashville Predators vs. Winnipeg Jets, 8 p.m. ET (CNBC) -- series tied 1-1
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck