* Aleksander Barkov scored the series-clinching goal shorthanded to help the Panthers advance to the Second Round for the third straight postseason.
* Twenty-year-old Wyatt Johnston continued his scoring ways and helped the Stars even their First Round series at two games apiece, ensuring their series against the reigning Stanley Cup champions will require at least six games.
* A quartet of Game 5s will see the Bruins, Hurricanes, Avalanche and Canucks each with the opportunity to advance to the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
PANTHERS SECURE SPOT IN 2024 SECOND ROUND
Aleksander Barkov (2-1—3) and Carter Verhaeghe (2-1—3) each factored on half of Florida’s goals to help their club become the second team to advance to the 2024 Second Round as the Panthers won the “Battle of the Sunshine State” playoff edition for the first time after also facing the Lightning in the 2022 Second Round and 2021 First Round. The Panthers set a new franchise mark for most goals in a potential series-clinching game after scoring six.
* Florida has made it past the opening round of the playoffs for a franchise-best third straight year – their five series wins over that span are the most among all teams. The Panthers will face either the Bruins or Maple Leafs next round, two teams they eliminated en route to making the Stanley Cup Final in 2023.
*Verhaeghe already entered the contest with the most goals and points in potential series-clinching games in franchise history and increased his totals in that scenario to 6-5—11 (9 GP). Both Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk (0-2—2) extended their postseason-opening point streak to five games, which tied Barkov (2021) and Jason Woolley (1996) for the longest run by a Panthers player.
* Barkov became the fifth player in Panthers history to score a shorthanded goal in the playoffs and the second to do so in a potential series-clinching game alongside Bill Lindsay (Game 6 of 1996 CSF). He and Verhaeghe also became the second and third players in franchise history with three points in a potential series clincher, following Claude Giroux (1-2—3 in Game 6 of 2022 R1).
JOHNSTON HELPS STARS SEND SERIES BACK TO DALLAS TIED 2-2
Wyatt Johnston (1-0—1) scored in his second straight game and was one of four Dallas skaters to find the back of the net as the Stars rallied from two different deficits Monday en route to levelling the series 2-2 as it shifts back to Dallas for Game 5. Teams that own a 3-2 lead in a best-of-seven series own an all-time record of 348-93 (.789).
* The road team has won each of the first four games between the Stars and Golden Knights. This marks the first time in Vegas playoff history the club has been a part of a series where the visitors have been victorious through four games and the second time in franchise history for Dallas (also 1980 QF vs. MTL).
* Johnston (7-3—10 in 23 GP) became the fifth player in Stars/North Stars history to record 10 postseason points at age 20 or younger, joining Brian Bellows (9-20—29), Mike Modano (9-13—22), Tom McCarthy (5-9—14) and Brad Palmer (8-5—13). All four players achieved the feat when the club played in Minnesota.
QUICK CLICKS
* Sergei Bobrovsky, Thatcher Demko, Connor Hellebuyck named Vezina Trophy finalists
* Canucks going 'by the hour' on starting goalie for Game 5 against Predators
* Steven Stamkos' future uncertain following Lightning elimination
* Dave Hakstol fired as Kraken coach, no replacement named
* Auston Matthews remains questionable for Maple Leafs in Game 5
FOUR TEAMS AIM TO FORCE GAME 6 TUESDAY
An exciting four-game Tuesday in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs features four teams looking to advance to the Second Round and four clubs trying to stave off elimination, beginning with the Bruins versus the Maple Leafs on ESPN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports and CBC and closing with the Canucks hosting the Predators on TBS, MAX and Sportsnet networks.
* Brad Marchand and the Bruins return home looking to advance past the opening round for the first time since 2021 – the Boston captain has 6-13—19 in 29 career potential series-clinching games and can tie Peter McNab (8-12—20 in 16 GP) for the fourth-most points in those contests in franchise history. At the other end of the ice, the Maple Leafs, who are 3-1 in their last four Game 5s when trailing 3-1 in a best-of-seven series, aim to force a Game 6. Mitch Marner leads all current Maple Leafs players in points in potential elimination contests with 2-8—10 (11 GP).
* Frederik Andersen and the Hurricanes will look to advance past the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. Andersen (4-9 in 14 GP) is one of only nine active goaltenders (min. 1 GP in 2023-24) that have won four or more potential series-clinching contests – a list that includes* Marc-Andre Fleury* (16), Andrei Vasilevskiy (13), Jonathan Quick (10),* Martin Jones* (6), Sergei Bobrovsky (6), Jordan Binnington (5),* Philipp Grubauer* (4) and Semyon Varlamov (4). Meanwhile, the Islanders will look to extend their playoff lifeline again after doing so in double overtime in Game 4. They have forced a Game 6 after trailing 3-0 in a series on two occasions: the 1975 Quarterfinals against the Penguins and the 1975 Semifinals versus the Flyers.
* The Avalanche will have the opportunity to advance past the opening round for the first time since 2022 when they went on to win the Stanley Cup. Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin enter the contest with goals in each of the first four games of the postseason, while* Cale Makar* (2-6—8 in 4 GP) is two points shy of becoming the sixth defenseman in NHL history with multiple 10-point series after doing so in the 2022 First Round. The last defenseman to achieve that feat was Pittsburgh’s Larry Murphy who hit double digits in the 1995 Conference Quarterfinals and the 1991 Stanley Cup Final.
* The Canucks can advance past the opening round for the first time since 2020. With Thatcher Demko, Casey DeSmith and Arturs Silovs all earning victories, the 2024 First Round can mark the eighth time in NHL history that a team has won a playoff series after having at least three different goaltenders start a game and the third instance in the previous 50 years (also PHI in 2011 CQF & DET in 1988 DSF).
