NHL Playoff Recaps: Panthers extend series, Kraken have Avs on the brink
NHL Playoff Recaps: April 26, 2023
The Boston Bruins had a chance to advance on Wednesday night, but the Florida Panthers used a thrilling OT goal by Matthew Tkachuk to extend the series. Meanwhile, the NHL’s newest franchise is one win away from eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champs as the Seattle Kraken took Game 5 against the Colorado Avalanche.
NHL Playoff Recaps: Cats stay alive
Panthers 4 vs Bruins 3 (OT) (Series: 3-2, BOS)
Matthew Tkachuk scored at 6:05 of overtime to lift the visiting Florida Panthers to a season-saving, 4-3 win over the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Wednesday.
The Panthers cut their deficit in the best-of-seven series to 3-2 heading to Game 6 on Friday in Sunrise, Fla.
After Carter Verhaeghe picked off Boston goaltender Linus Ullmark’s attempted clear from behind the net, the puck bounced off Ullmark’s pads and onto the stick of Tkachuk for a backhanded, game-winning tally.
Tkachuk finished with a goal and an assist, and Anthony Duclair, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart scored in regulation for Florida. Verhaeghe logged three assists.
Bennett has recorded points in all four of his games in the series, scoring a goal in three of them.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 44 saves in his second consecutive start.
Brad Marchand had a goal and an assist while Patrice Bergeron and Taylor Hall also scored for the Bruins, who had a 47-25 shot advantage and finished 2-for-5 on the power play.
Boston’s Charlie McAvoy had two assists, and Ullmark made 21 saves.
NHL Playoff Recaps: Kraken beat Avs

Kraken 3 vs Avalanche 2 (Series: 3-2, SEA)
Tye Kartye scored in his NHL debut, Yanni Gourde and Morgan Geekie also had goals, and the Seattle Kraken beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in Game 5 of their series in Denver on Wednesday night.
Philipp Grubauer turned away 26 shots to give the Kraken a 3-2 lead in the first playoff series in franchise history. Game 6 will be Friday in Seattle.
Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Evan Rodrigues also scored and Alexandar Georgiev made 26 saves for Colorado.
The Avalanche played without defenseman Cale Makar, who served a one-game suspension for his hit on Kraken forward Jared McCann in Monday’s Game 4. McCann missed Wednesday and is expected to be out for Game 6.
Colorado was also without forward Valeri Nichushkin (personal reasons) and Darren Helm (upper-body injury).
–Field Level Media