Defending cham­pions reach the semi-finals

Defending champions Tampa Bay Lightning have reached the semi-finals of the NHL play-offs. The Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2:0 in Game Five of the second play-off round to win the best-of-seven series 4:1.

After a scoreless first period, Braydon Point puts Tampa on the road to victory against the top-seeded team from Carolina (25.), before Ross Colton seals the win midway through the third period (50.). In the semi-finals, the defending champions will face either the Boston Bruins or the New York Islanders and will have home-ice advantage. “We have not reached our goal yet,” Tampa forward Point makes clear, referring to the aim of defending the title.

In the clash between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, the Knights take the lead in the best-of-seven series. Vegas wins Game Five 3:2 in overtime and now also leads the series 3:2. Colorado is 2:0 ahead at Ball Arena following goals from Brandon Saad (20.) and Joonas Donskoi (37.) before Vegas levels the score within a matter of minutes through Alex Tuch (42.) and Jonathan Marchessault (45.). Mark Stone secures the decision in overtime after 50 seconds. Game 6 takes place in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

The Montreal Canadiens are the first semi-finalists in this year’s play-offs. The Canadians win Game Four of the best-of-seven series against the Winnipeg Jets 3:2 after overtime and remain in the hunt for the coveted trophy following the sweep. Tyler Toffoli becomes the match-winner at the Bell Centre with his goal 1:39 into overtime.

Earlier, Logan Stnley ( 22nd/26nd) had levelled the Canadians’ 2:0 lead, established by Erik Gustafsson (9nd/PP) and Artturi Lehkonen (20th), with a brace. The statistics also illustrate just how dominant Montreal are: while Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck faced 42 shots on goal, his opposite number Carey Price faced just 16.