The 2017 Stanley Cup playoff picture: Best postseason photos
The 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs have provided plenty of drama, fromConnor McDavid's debut to a record number of overtime thrillers. Here are the most stunning and significant postseason photos ... so far.
May 18: Perry pulls Ducks even
Corey Perry was clutch once again. The veteran Ducks winger's goal 10 minutes, 25 seconds into overtime -- Perry's second OT winner in two weeks -- gave Anaheim a 3-2 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, evening the best-of-seven series against the Nashville Predators at two games apiece.
May 17: Senators' flurry chases Fleury
Ottawa struck early in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Mike Hoffman scored 48 seconds into the game, then the Senators blew things open against the sluggish Penguins a few minutes later with the fastest three goals in team playoff history. Marc Methot, Derick Brassard (above) and Zack Smith all found the net during a 2:18 span midway through the first period. Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury got the early hook after allowing those four goals on just nine shots in the first period.
May 16: Anaheim ducks for cover
This rubber toy tossed onto the ice by a fan after the Predators scored during the third period of Game 3 pretty much summed up Anaheim's night. Not even having two goals in eight seconds waved off for goaltender interference could shake the Predators, who rallied to beat the Ducks 2-1 in their first-ever home game in the Western Conference finals.
May 15: Phan-OOF!
Ottawa defenseman Dion Phaneuf has made his presence felt during the Senators' series against the Penguins. Phaneuf leveled Pittsburgh rookie Jake Guentzel (59) during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals at PPG Paints Arena.
May 14: Gibson saves the day
The Ducks dug themselves out of a two-goal hole and rallied from behind twice for a 5-3 win over Nashville to even the Western Conference finals at one game apiece. Netminder John Gibson stopped 29 of 32 shots for the Ducks.
May 13: Ryan finds redemption
Senators winger Bobby Ryan, center -- who was drafted second after Sidney Crosby in 2005 -- rebounded from the worst regular season of his 10-year career and came up big in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins. Ryan's no-look, backhanded pass set up Jean-Gabriel Pageau's goal, which opened the scoring in the series. Ryan then netted the winner in overtime.
May 12: Forsberg flips the script
The Predators prevailed 3-2 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals despite 43 saves by Ducks netminder John Gibson. Gibson more than held his own in a goalie showdown with Nashville's Pekka Rinne, but he couldn't stop a redirection by Nashville's Filip Forsberg in the first period.
May 10: Ovi, Capitals ousted
The Penguins did it again, eliminating Alex Ovechkin and the Capitalsfrom the postseason by delivering a crushing 2-0 win in Game 7 behind 29 saves from Marc-Andre Fleury.
May 9: Sens celebrate
Erik Karlsson and the resilient Senators showed off their toughness in the third period of Game 6 of their second-round series against the New York Rangers, holding on for a gritty 4-2 win that sent them to their first Eastern Conference final in 10 years.
May 8: Burakovsky buries game-winner
Andre Burakovsky scored twice, Nicklas Backstrom got his sixth goal of the playoffs, and Washington beat the archrival Penguins 5-2 to force a Game 7 in their seesaw Eastern Conference semifinal.
May 7: Draisaitl's hat trick
Leon Draisaitl helped the Oilers bounce back from a tough loss in their previous game with three goals and two assists as the Oilers cruised to a 7-1 victory over Anaheim, forcing a decisive Game 7 in their Western Conference semifinal series.
May 6: Holtby douses Penguins rally
On the brink of elimination and trailing a Pittsburgh team that went 37-1-1 in the regular season and 6-0 in the playoffs when up after two periods, the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals finally responded like the Cup contenders everyone thought they should be. Goalie Braden Holtby had his strongest performance of the season, stopping 20 shots to help force a Game 6 back in Pittsburgh.
May 5: Corey Perry keys comeback
Ducks winger Corey Perry scored 6:57 into the second OT after the Ducks rallied from a three-goal deficit in the final minutes of regulation, completing a stunning 4-3 victory over the Oilers and seizing a 3-2 lead in their second-round series. Anaheim became the first team in Stanley Cup playoff history to force overtime or win a playoff game after trailing by three goals with less than four minutes left in regulation.
May 4: Lundqvist leads Blueshirts
Henrik Lundqvist had 22 saves to help the Rangers beat the Senators 4-1 to tie their Eastern Conference semifinal series at two games apiece. Ottawa had trouble generating sustained pressure against Lundqvist, who earned his 61st playoff win to tie Tom Barrasso for 13th on the NHL's career list.
May 3: Silfverberg strikes again
Jakob Silfverberg exploded on the Oilers through the first three games of their series with the Ducks, with four goals and five points. The Ducks' right wingplayed a crucial role in Anaheim's first win of the series by scoring his fifth and sixth goals of the playoffs. His game winner 45 seconds into overtime of Game 4 gave the Ducks their second consecutive win and evened the series.
May 2: P.K. gets physical
Predators defenseman P.K. Subban put a hurting on Blues winger Magnus Paajarvi in the second period of Game 4. His Nashville teammate James Neal scored the game-winning goal with 6:57 left, as the Predators beat the Blues 2-1 to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal.
May 1: Crosby collapses
In a scary sequence just over five minutes into Game 3 of Pittsburgh's Eastern Conference semifinals series against Washington, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby took a stick to the head from Alex Ovechkin, followed by another blow from Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen as he fell to the ice The double whammy left Crosby writhing on the ground in front of a stunned home crowd. He did not return to the ice and missedGame 4 of the series after being diagnosed with a concussion.
April 30: Ducks deal a convincing blow
Corey Perry and the Ducks cut the Oilers' series lead to 2-1 with a commanding 6-3 win over Darnell Nurse & Co. on their home ice in Edmonton.
April 29: Pageau's pageantry
Jean-Gabriel Pageau accounted for four of Ottawa's six goals in its 6-5 double-overtime win over the Rangers in Game 2 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series, including the game winner 2:54 into the second OT.
April 28: Cam Talbot keeps his cool
While the Ducks dominated the puck and peppered the Edmonton net with shots over the final 2 1/2 periods, Oilers goalie Cam Talbot stood tall -- when he wasn't sprawling, diving or gloving everything in sight.Talbot made 39 saves and Edmonton moved halfway to the Western Conference finals with a 2-1 victory.
April 27: Bonino! Bonino! Bonino!
Nick Bonino put the finishing touch on another playoff classic. The Penguins' third-line centerbeat Capitals goalie Braden Holtby with 7:24 left for the Game 1 winner and his latest spring heroics. "Bones is a guy that's a high-stakes player," coach Mike Sullivan said. "He brings his best game when the games are most important."
April 26: Subban steals the show
P.K. Subban had a goal and two assists, powering Nashville to a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.
April 23: Johanssen nets series winner in OT
Marcus Johansson came through to help Washington get another big overtime win in a series that had five games go beyond regulation.The Capitals center stuffed his second goal of the game past Frederik Andersen at 6:31 of overtime, lifting the Capitals to a series-winning 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6.
April 22: Jake Allen tames Wild
Jake Allen led the Blues a 4-3 victory in Game 5 of their playoff series against the Minnesota Wild.Allen made 34 saves for the Blues, who led 2-0 and 3-1 before a furious but ultimately fruitless rally by the Wild.
April 21: Kuraly comes through in double-OT
Sean Kuraly picked a great time to score his first two NHL goals.Kuraly's second goal of the game at 10:19 of the second overtime gave the Boston Bruins a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 5, avoiding elimination in the first-round series.
April 20: Predators complete sweep
Roman Josi scored twice, Pekka Rinne had 30 saves and Nashville beat Chicago 4-1 to complete a surprising sweep of the Western Conference's top seed.
April 19: Wild-Blues tussle
Wild center Ryan White (21) scrapped with Blues pivot Patrik Berglund (21) as Minnesota's Matt Dumba (24) put St. Louis' David Perron (57) in a headlock during Game 4 of their first-round series.
April 18: Sharks pour it on
Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture each scored twice and the Sharks rebounded from back-to-back shutouts in emphatic fashion, beating the Oilers 7-0 to tie their first-round playoff series at two games apiece.
April 17: Predators, Blackhawks get physical
Marcus Kruger (16) of the Chicago Blackhawks was called for holding against Nashville Predators winger Harry Zolnierczyk (26) during Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.The Predators had never before won the first three games of any playoff series, but they did so by outscoring the Western Conference's No. 1 seed 9-2.
April 16: Guentzel's game-winner
Jake Guentzel earned the first playoff hat trick for a Pittsburgh rookie. The 22-year-old capped his big night by slipping the puck past Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky at 13:10 of the extra period for a 5-4 win and a 3-0 advantage for the Penguins in the playoff series.
April 15: Ducks-Flames fisticuffs
Animosity was in the air from the start of the Calgary Flames-Anaheim Ducks series opener. Flames winger Micheal Ferland (79) and Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa had a history dating back to the 2015 playoffs, so it was no surprise when they traded punches. The Ducks won their 29th consecutive matchup with the Flames in Anaheim since April 25, 2006, extending the longest such streak in NHL history.
April 14: Radulov in red-light district
When Alexander Radulov lit the lamp 18:34 into overtime, it gave the Montreal Canadiens new life against the New York Rangers and evened the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal at 1-1.
April 13: Mr. Game 1
Tom Wilson scored 5:15 into overtime to secure a 3-2 victory for the Capitals in Game 1 of their first-round series against the young Toronto Maple Leafs.Playoff star and 2014 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Justin Williams scored twice in regulation, and Braden Holtby stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced to give Wilson the opportunity to be the hero.
April 12: McDavid's debut
Superstar Connor McDavid made his much-anticipated playoff debut, but the San Jose Sharks did not roll out the welcome mat.San Jose instead taught McDavid and the upstart Edmonton Oilers a lesson in playoff intensity, spotting them two early goals in Game 2 and then roaring back to win.
