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Stanley Cup Playoffs Three Stars: Pavelski leads Sharks' rout; Bolts on the brink

Stanley Cup Playoffs Three Stars: Pavelski leads Sharks' rout; Bolts on the brink

No. 1 Star: Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks

Pavelski had a three-point night in the Sharks 7-2 rout of the Los Angeles Kings, picking up a second assist on the Justin Braun goal that stood as the game-winner, then adding a goal and another assist once the Kings fell apart in the third. The Sharks scored four in the final frame:

No. 2 Star: Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens

Gallagher capped off a massive momentum shift for the Canadiens versus the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period, scoring the go-ahead goal not long after Ryan Callahan has his go-ahead goal disallowed. Then in the third, he helped orchestrate a Tomas Plekanec goal which would stand as the game-winner in a 3-2 victory for the Canadiens. Game 4 now becomes our first elimination game of the playoffs.

No. 3 Star: Ray Emery, Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers were outshot 33 to 24, but Emery shut the door, making 31 saves to give the Flyers a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers, their first victory as Madison Square Garden in nine tries.

Honorable mention: Steven Stamkos did his best, assisting on both Lightning goals in the loss, the second of which came after he returned from a nasty head hit by Alexei Emelin... Tuukka Rask made 34 saves as the Boston Bruins topped the Detroit Red Wings, 4-1, and tied their series at one win apiece... Perhaps inspired by the incredible opening sequence at the Bell Centre, Rene Bourque scored just 11 seconds in:

Did You Know? Jonathan Quick has had a rough start to these playoffs:

Dishonorable mention: It's got to be the LA Kings. Quick hasn't been good, but the rest of his team has been overmatched as well. Seven goals allowed in Game 2. Fortunately, now they go home to the Staples Center, where they're usually better. It's hard to imagine them being much worse... This is some rough stuff from Jimmy Howard and Brenden Smith: