The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs rolled on with some wild action in the Eastern Conference on Monday.
The Washington Capitals skated to a 1-0 win in Game 7 against the New York Islanders at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. while the Tampa Bay Lightning came into a hostile Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and handed the Red Wings a 5-2 drubbing to force a Game 7 back at the Amalie Arena on Wednesday.
Here are our three stars of the night:
Honorable Mention: Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar, who led the team with 29 goals in the regular season, had both tallies for Detroit in their loss to the Lightning and deserves a mention.
3) Petr Mrazek: Though the Red Wings goalie was beaten four times and allowed four goals on 27 shots, it could have been much worse. Mrazek's 23 saves featured some tremendous work in the blue paint, including what is a Save of the Year candidate on Brian Boyle in the second period with his team trailing 2-0. Mrazek, 23, followed it up by stifling Steven Stamkos on a golden opportunity minutes later.
2) Evgeny Kuznetsov: Monday was definitely a night to remember for rookies as Kuznetsov netted the game-winning goal in Game 7 for the Capitals against the Islanders by beating netminder Jaroslav Halak 12:42 into the third period. The tally marked the former 26th overall pick's third goal of the postseason after he found the twine twice in Game 5.
1) Tyler Johnson: The Lightning forward continued his hot start to the playoffs by finding the back of the net twice in his team's win-or-go-home game against the Red Wings. Johnson now ranks tied for first in the NHL with six goals this postseason and in a six-way tie for second with seven points.
The Islanders and Capitals shook hands on Monday while the Lightning and Red Wings will become the second series to go to a Game 7.
The Capitals will face the New York Rangers in the second round while the winner of Game 7 for the Lightning and Red Wings will go on to face the Montreal Canadiens.
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