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The Playoff Buzzer: Pacioretty continues Vegas dominance; Connor on point again for Jets

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The Blue Jackets look ready to make a deep playoff run after sweeping the top-seeded Lightning in Round 1.

  • All-time upset in Columbus as they grab the brooms and sweep Tampa out of the playoffs
  • The Islanders, too, snag some brooms and usher Sidney Crosby and the Penguins to the offseason
  • Connor the hero for Winnipeg after scoring overtime winner to even series vs. Blues 2-2
  • Pacioretty continues second-line dominance for Vegas vs. Sharks

New York Islanders 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (NYI wins series 4-0)

The Islanders just don’t quit, and it proved to be too much for the inconsistent Penguins, who simply couldn’t answer New York’s relentless pace and persistence. Jordan Eberle had a great game. Robin Lehner was solid in net once again, and the Islanders continued their stingy defensive style that Barry Trotz has implemented to near perfection so far. The Isles deserve to move on, plain and simple.

Columbus Blue Jackets 7, Tampa Bay Lightning 3 (CBJ wins series 4-0)

The first signs of life from the Lightning since the first period in Game 1 were seen in Game 4 on Tuesday, but it didn’t matter one iota. The Blue Jackets were simply too good outside of the first period in Game 1. Forechecking at its finest. Goal scoring from everywhere. Tampa couldn’t breathe and was forced to tap out in just four games after winning a record-tying 62 in the regular season. It’s an all-time upset in NHL history.

Winnipeg Jets 2, St. Louis Blues 1 (Series tied 2-2)

A clean slate heading back to Winnipeg? The Jets could have only dreamed of that after dropping the first two games in their own barn. But they made a statement in Game 3 and may have done some psychological damage with a 2-1 overtime win in Game 4 on Tuesday. The Jets were not deterred after Vladimir Tarasenko gave the Blues a 1-0 lead early in the third. Mark Scheifele’s tying goal was a product of hard work and the overtime goal by Kyle Connor was much of the same. Game 5 should be a dandy in this tightly contested affair.

Vegas Golden Knights , San Jose Sharks (VGK leads series 3-1)

Hard not to think that San Jose is done in this series. Vegas put the Sharks on the brink of elimination with an easy 5-0 win. They chased Martin Jones for the second time in the series. Their second line is unstoppable at the moment and now the Sharks can’t score. You can point to some issues they cannot control. Injuries, specifically. But when your goalie is playing at a worse caliber than he did during the regular season, there’s simply no chance.

Three stars

1. Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights

Two goals and two assists from Pacioretty meant another feast for the Golden Knights’ second line. After combining for 12 points in Game 3, the line returned for Game 4 and combined for another seven. Pacioretty got his moment after Paul Stastny and Mark Stone each had five-point outings in the previous game. Vegas looks unstoppable when San Jose can’t stop that line. Also, shoutout to Marc-Andre Fleury who turned aside 28 shots for the shutout.

2. Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets

Connor fed Mark Scheifele with a slick cross-ice feed to tie the game up 1-1 in the third period. From there, he was in front of the net when a loose puck found its way in front of him and quickly into the back of the net to give the Jets a 2-1 win in overtime. Connor had two goals in Game 3 and is producing in the clutch for Winnipeg at the moment.

3. Alexandre Texier, Columbus Blue Jackets

He entered the game with no playoff goals and left with two. Texier, 19, was impressive in a game where the Blue Jackets swept up the Tampa Bay Lightning, building off a Game 3 where he picked up an assist. In six total NHL games, Texier has three goals and an assist now. He’s an exciting young player.

Highlight of the night

This is extremely filthy.

Awkward moment of the night

Panarin just doesn’t care:

Factoids of the night


  • Fleury moved into the seventh spot on the all-time postseason wins list on Tuesday. (NHL PR)
  • More Vegas history: they became the first NHL team to score in the opening 90 seconds in three straight playoff games. (NHL PR)
  • A very good omen for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who became the fourth team in NHL history to sweep the NHL’s No. 1 team in the regular season. Guess what the three others who did the same thing ended up doing later that spring? (NHL PR)

Wednesday’s games

Game 4: Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs (TOR leads 2-1), 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Live Stream)
Game 4: Nashville Predators at Dallas Stars (NSH leads 2-1), 9 p.m. ET, USA (Live Stream)
Game 4: Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche (COL leads 2-1), 10 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Live Stream)


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