• Despite a potentially devastating major penalty by Kyle Clifford, the Maple Leafs thumped the Lightning in Game 1.
• Antti Raanta won his first career playoff start, helping the Hurricanes take care of business vs. the Bruins.
• The two West road teams won their Game 1 matchups in different ways (Kings over Oilers by a goal; Blues shut out the Wild 4-0), but both got the job done.
• Juuse Saros won’t be available for the Predators for at least the first two games of their First Round series vs. the Avalanche.
Game 1: Hurricanes 5, Bruins 1
After late-season injuries, it wasn’t clear if the Hurricanes would roll out a reliable, healthy goalie against the Bruins. Frederik Andersen missed Game 1, but Antti Raanta won his first career playoff game by making 35 saves against the Bruins. The 5-1 score is a bit misleading, as a Taylor Hall goal reduced Carolina’s lead to 2-1 about three minutes into the third period.
The Hurricanes responded with two goals, then an empty-netter, to remove any doubt.
Game 1: Maple Leafs 5, Lightning 0
Now, this Game 1 was as lopsided as the score indicates, as the Maple Leafs leveled the Lightning to a shocking degree. As mentioned in the bullet points, a Kyle Clifford major penalty could’ve been trouble for Toronto. Instead, they generated more scoring chances than the Bolts’ power play, and the Buds rarely looked back.
Beyond winning, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner enjoyed huge games, scoring three points apiece. Spoiler: Matthews and Marner will get some consideration for Monday’s 3 NHL Stars.
Game 1: Blues 4, Wild 0
Heading into this First Round series, there was some question if the Blues would start Ville Husso or Jordan Binnington vs. the Wild. On one hand, Husso put up elite goaltending during the regular season, while Binnington was up-and-down (at best). On the other, Binnington’s their bigger-money goalie, and has a Stanley Cup on his resume.
Wisely, the Blues stuck with the hot hand, and Husso delivered a shutout in his first NHL playoff start.
Husso wasn’t the only driving force of this Blues win, but he could be a big difference-maker against a Wild team that generated a greater volume of shots than St. Louis in Game 1.
On a side note, this could be a situation to watch.
look at this TRASH pic.twitter.com/LB6qjXlMBi
— Tony X (@soIoucity) May 3, 2022
Game 1: Kings 4, Oilers 3
When you watch this Connor McDavid goal, and realize it didn’t summarize the entire impact of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, you might assume the Kings were in trouble on Monday. Really, you just need to watch that McDavid goal anyway.
Connor McDavid is just UNFAIR 🥵 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/kUCK3sJXxf
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 3, 2022
Instead of wilting in what was a frenetic Game 1, the Kings never trailed against the Oilers. The Kings routinely took advantage of a rough night for Mike Smith, culminating in the game-winning goal with 5:14 remaining in the third period.
It seems like we can only go so long before it’s time to question the Oilers’ goaltending again. Could Mikko Koskinen be the guy in Game 2?
[NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2022 First Round schedule, TV info]
Three Stars in NHL for Monday (first day of playoffs)
1. David Perron, Blues
When will we get to the point where David Perron is no longer underrated? Honestly, it would help if he stopped raising his ceiling.
Perron was a huge factor in the Blues beating the Wild on the road in Game 1, notching a hat trick plus an assist. Since rejoining the Blues (again), he’s been a productive playoff performer. Perron generated 16 points in 26 games during their Stanley Cup run in 2018-19. He’s been even more prolific lately, generating nine points in as many playoff games in 2019-20, and then those four points in Game 1.
To some, Ville Husso’s 37-save shutout is even more impressive than Perron’s four-point game. Either way, the Wild simply need to hope that one (or both) of them cool off quite a bit.
2. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs
Let’s cheat and mush these two together. After a miserable series against the Canadiens last postseason, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner wasted no time making an impact for the Maple Leafs in Game 1 vs. the Lightning.
Each player collected three points. In Auston Matthews’ case, he scored two goals and one assist. Meanwhile, Marner generated two assists, and this goal:
3. Trevor Moore and Phillip Danault, Kings
Carry over that Marner - Matthews spirit and consider this a combined award for the line of Trevor Moore (credited with a goal and two assists), Phillip Danault (1G, 1A, may have scored the game-winner), and Alex Iafallo (1G, 1A).
During the regular season, Danault proved that he’s more than just a strong defensive forward. That carried over for the Kings in getting the edge over the Oilers in Game 1.
At 5-on-5, that trio was on the ice for three goals for and zero against. That wasn’t just luck, either. Via Natural Stat Trick, Iafallo - Danault - Moore were on the ice for five high-danger chances for, with just one against.
Jay Woodcroft didn’t have Connor McDavid out there all that often against Danault (3:21 TOI), as McDavid primarily faced Anze Kopitar (7:58). As this series goes along, it will be interesting to see which matchups each coach tries to chase. Frankly, Game 1 didn’t provide a lot of easier answers for the Oilers against the Kings.
Tuesday’s NHL Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Penguins at Rangers, 7 p.m. ET - ESPN
Game 1: Capitals at Panthers, 7:30 p.m. ET - ESPN2
Game 1: Predators at Avalanche, 9:30 p.m. ET - ESPN
Game 1: Stars at Flames, 9:30 p.m. ET - ESPN2
PHT’s 2022 Stanley Cup previews
• Maple Leafs vs. Lightning
• Hurricanes vs. Bruins
• Blues vs. Wild
• Avalanche vs. Predators
• Oilers vs. Kings
• Flames vs. Stars
• NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2022 schedule, TV info
• First Round, Stanley Cup predictions
• NHL Draft Lottery set: Canadiens have best odds for top pick
• Why your team will (and will not) win the Stanley Cup
—
James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.