Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat both score first-period goals to help the Lightning beat the Panthers 3-1.
The Hurricanes had the NHL's biggest crowd of the postseason with 12,000 at PNC Arena after Gov. Roy Cooper eased restrictions. He was in the building Monday and sounded the siren before the game.Anaheim Ducks
In what was an embarrassment of a hockey game between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers, T.J Oshie produced one of the best feel good moments of the entire NHL season, scoring a hat trick in his first game back in the lineup following his father’s passing.New Jersey Devils
Health: The Jets have been without Ehlers since April 26, but he's skating again and could be back for this series. If so, that's an enormous lift for the Jets -- he had eight points in seven games against the Oilers this season. For Edmonton, Zack Kassian has resumed skating after being out with a lower body injury. Advantage: Even
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Why they can win: They are the best team in the NHL. They have the best record, they have a loaded roster with superstar forwards, quality depth, and the best defense in the league. They are the most impressive team by almost every objective measure that we have to analyze hockey teams. They are not only built to win this season, they are built to contend for years.Florida Panthers
A traditional rivalry will be rekindled when these Original Six teams meet in postseason play for the first time since 1979. Toronto is a clear favorite for many reasons, starting with Auston Matthews’ league-leading 41 goals in 52 games and continuing with Mitch Marner’s fourth-ranked 67 points and the team’s average of 3.32 goals per game, compared to Montreal’s 2.77. The Maple Leafs haven’t won the Cup since 1967 and haven’t won a playoff series since 2003-04, but expectations are high. Their likely Game 1 goalie is former King Jack Campbell (2.15, .921) and that would be his playoff debut. Frederik Andersen has been slowed by an injury and his stats (2.96, .895) weren’t good but he has extensive playoff experience. Montreal fired coach Claude Julien in February when the team was 9-5-4 and promoted assistant Dominique Ducharme. He got them into the playoffs, though goalie Carey Price has missed considerable time because of a concussion and the team had a minus-nine goal differential. They don’t have the scoring depth to match up, though former King Tyler Toffoli (28 goals, 44 points) can do damage and former Duck Corey Perry has been his old abrasive self. Prediction: Maple Leafs in five.New York Islanders