NHL Three Stars: Ducks finally win; Nashville rolls over St. Louis
No. 1 Star: Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks absolutely needed to win Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers. To do so, someone other than Ryan Getzlaf had to score. Enter Silfverberg. The Swede had a two goal, one assist performance in Anaheim’s 6-3 win. Silfverberg now has six goals in seven playoff games this year.
No. 2 Star: Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators
The Preds defenseman has been absolutely nails for team this offseason. He’s currently riding a six game point scoring streak, collecting eight points. Ellis scored the first goal in Nashville’s 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues.
No. 3 Star: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
The Ducks went up 3-1 by the end of the first period. Just shy of halfway through the second, McDavid tied the game at 3-3 with a goal that Sami Vatanen is still looking for his ankles on.
Honorable Mention: Colton Sissons led the Preds with two points, both assists. Cody McLeod netted his first goal of the playoffs for Nashville in his team-low 7:39 TOI. Alexander Steen scored the Blues lone goal. Pekka Rinne had 22 saves in the win … Rickard Rakell recorded the fastest playoff goal in Ducks history 25 seconds into the first:
For whatever stock you put into the number, Hampus Lindholm was a plus-5. Ryan Getzlaf, Shea Theodore, and Josh Manson were second to Silfverberg in scoring with two points each. Kris Russell (!) led the Oilers with two assists. Chris Wagner ended up with the goal winner for Anaheim.
Did You Know? The Preds blueline has combined for 11 points in the three games played against St. Louis.
Dishonorable Mention: In the first and second periods, St. Louis had 14 shots on goal to Nashville’s 28 … Despite winning the game, the Ducks struggled to fend off Edmonton, losing a three goal lead.
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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter!