The 2015 NHL playoffs got off to a tremendous start on Wednesday and things got even better Thursday when four more series' opened up with eight teams beginning their quest to the Stanley Cup.
Top 5 Moments From Opening Night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
In the Eastern Conference, the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers opened up their series against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins while the Tampa Bay Lightning played host to the Detroit Red Wings in Game 1 of their series.
Over in the Western Conference, the Pacific Division's top-seeded Anaheim Ducks hosted the Winnipeg Jets while the Central Division-winning St. Louis Blues took on the Minnesota Wild.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Predictions: Central Division Bracket
There were 20 goals scored on Thursday night between the four Game 1s, and here are our top 5:
5) New York Minute: Derick Brassard wasted little time in getting the Rangers on the board, corralling a Rick Nash rebound that bounced off Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, and finding the back of the cage just 28 seconds into the contest. New York went on to top Pittsburgh 2-1 and take a 1-0 series lead.
4) Magic Man: Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk had two goals on Thursday, but it was his opening goal that set the pace for the team's Game 1 matchup with the Lightning. Datsyuk deflected Detroit's first shot past Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop to stake the team to a 1-0 lead. Datsyuk would find the twine again in the second period as Detroit skated to a 3-2 Game 1 victory despite being out-shot 46-14.
3) Wild Wraparound: Wild forward Jason Zucker skated quickly up the left side of the ice heading in on Blues rookie goaltender Jake Allen. Zucker bounced his initial shot off of Allen, corralled it quickly and wrapped around the net, tucking the puck in just 2:47 into the game to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. The Wild ended up winning 4-2 and took a 1-0 series lead.
2) Corey's Glory: There's no doubting that Ducks forward Corey Perry has a nose for the net and he found the back of the cage twice in the team's Game 1 matchup with the Jets. Perry's second goal, however, was the most important one. After he tied the game at 2-2, Perry edged his way to the net and put a backhand shot on Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec and the puck stayed out. With Perry fading away from the puck, which was sitting loose in the crease, he poked it behind the red line in a last-ditch effort and it held up as the game-winner after a review. The Ducks won 4-2 and took a 1-0 series lead.
1) Boyle's Bolt: With the Red Wings on a power play, Lightning forward and penalty kill specialist Brian Boyle forced a turnover in his own zone and skated in alone on Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek. Boyle deked the young goalie out of his skates and scored a short-handed goal that at the time tied the game at one goal apiece.
1A) Wings Fly: The Red Wings responded with a short-handed goal of their own, this time off the stick of Luke Glendening. Glendening took the puck away in his own zone and skated down the ice with it. The forward then threw on the brakes, spinning around to elude Tampa Bay's Valtteri Filppula, and his backhanded shot beat Bishop to put the Red Wings up 3-1.
There were plenty of amazing goals on night No. 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs and there are sure to be more tremendous tallies as the postseason rolls on.
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