After three Game 7s on Saturday, the thrilling first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs wrapped up with two overtime Game 7s on Sunday. Both games were high on drama and heroics from each team.
In the early game, Artemi Panarin sent a shot to the right side of Tristan Jarry's net to put the New York Rangers into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-3 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Panarin was assisted by Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad on the overtime game winner. Zibanejad was key for the Rangers' success late in the game as his goal at the 14:15 mark in the third period was what sent it to overtime.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was 3-0 in Game 7s coming into this game. His team finished the night with a 45-30 shots-on-goal advantage. Sidney Crosby did play in the game after missing Game 6, and recorded an assist in the loss. The Rangers will take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.
In the late game, the Calgary Flames got their first playoff series win since 2015 with a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars. The Flames finished the night with a 67-28 shots-on-goal advantage but still had a tough time dealing with a persistent Dallas team that countered with a solid goaltender in Jake Oettinger. He registered 64 saves and the Flames spent some extra time after the game in the handshake line to congratulate him on a terrific performance.
Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau took seven shots on the night and got the winning goal from a difficult angle at the 15:09 mark of the first overtime period after collecting a rebound, with Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk getting the assists. Gaudreau also registered an assist on a Tkachuk goal in the second period that tied the game. Up next, the Flames are taking on the Edmonton Oilers, who advanced after a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings in their own Game 7 on Saturday.
