The 2015 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs continued on Monday night as six teams took to the ice for game three of their respective series. Those teams included, comprehensively, the New York Rangers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the St. Louis Blues, the Minnesota Wild, the Anaheim Ducks, and the Winnipeg Jets.
In Pittsburgh, the Rangers and Penguins were knotted at one game apiece. The Pens, hosting game three from the Consol Energy Center, had to be keen on taking the series lead. However Pittsburgh bumped into a hot goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist as he posted a 95.8 save percentage to keep his team ahead in what was a low scoring affair. As a result, the Rangers reclaimed home ice advantage in the series and they could advance to the second round as early as game five following their 2-1 victory in game three.
In St. Paul, the Minnesota Wild were looking to take a series lead on home ice as well. The Blues and Wild split games one and two with all to play for in their best-of-seven series. Monday’s game saw a strong defensive outing on Minnesota’s part. Devan Dubnyk, the goalie for the Wild, earned a shutout victory and, to the team’s credit, he only had to make nineteen saves to do that. The Wild now lead their best-of-seven series with the Blues 2-1 following the 3-0 victory in game three.
In Winnipeg, the Jets’ contingent came out in full support of their team. The city, bereft of playoff hockey since 1996, carried on an old school tradition of displaying as much white as possible in the stands. But despite both the spirit and the fact that the Jets held a very late lead in the game, Winnipeg fell in overtime after Rickard Rakell scored about five minutes into the extra session. The Jets, now down 3-0 in the series, appear as though they are destined for a first round exit, something else that’s old school.
Four games in the Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled for Tuesday night. Tampa Bay and Detroit will meet in game three with their series knotted at one. Washington and the New York Islanders will meet in game four with N.Y. leading 2-1. Nashville and Chicago also play while Calgary will host Vancouver. Both of those series are also 2-1 for Chicago and Calgary respectively.