Colton Sissons and Kiefer Sherwood also scored for the Predators. Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros made 17 saves, including a few highlight-reel efforts while the Canucks pushed frantically in the third period to draw even.

Collectively, Nashville's skaters also blocked 30 Vancouver shot attempts.

Nikita Zadorov had the Canucks' lone goal. Casey DeSmith, who was in net with No. 1 goalie Thatcher Demko out due to an injury, stopped 12 of the 15 shots he faced.

Vancouver was also without towering defenseman Tyler Myers.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be Friday in Nashville.

Beauvillier opened the scoring only 74 seconds into the clash, the second time in as many games the Predators scored first. Forsberg sent a long shot that Beauvillier deflected into the cage on the game's first shot on net.

Forsberg doubled the lead at 6:29 of the second period by showing off his quick hands from in close on a golden chance he created by driving to the net.

Sissons tallied 95 later to stake the Predators to a 3-0 edge. Taking advantage of a turnover at the Vancouver blue line, Sissons pounced on a rebound after Beauvillier's shot was denied.

Zadorov finally provided the hosts a much-needed offensive jolt at 15:33 of the middle frame. The big defensemen's long shot from the left point made it through the screen and found the mark.

However, Sherwood's empty-net goal with 1:53 remaining, Nashville's first shot of the third period, sealed the game.

The Avalanche evened the best-of-seven series 1-1. Game 3 is in Colorado on Friday.

Artturi Lehkonen had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who rallied from a 2-1 deficit with three goals in the final 5:44 of the second period. Georgiev bounced back after allowing seven goals on 23 shots in a Game 1 loss.

David Gustafsson and Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets, and Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves.

Gustafsson gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at 3:15 of the first period. His tip-in attempt off Brenden Dillon's shot was blocked by Georgiev, but during the ensuing scramble, Gustafsson knocked in the loose puck.

Miles Wood tied it 1-1 at 1:59 of the second period, scoring on a one-timer from the left circle off a faceoff win by Ross Colton.

Shortly after Wood tied it, the Jets killed off a four-minute Avalanche power play to keep the score tied.

Scheifele gave the Jets a 2-1 lead at 8:37. Gabriel Vilardi entered the zone 2-on-1 and passed across the ice to Scheifele, who extended his stick with one hand and redirected the puck past Georgiev.

Late in the period, Winnipeg's Kyle Connor hit the post and, moments later, Lehkonen tied it, tipping in Cale Makar's wrist shot from the point at 14:16.

Zach Parise gave the Avalanche a 3-2 lead at 17:20. After Hellebuyck misplayed the puck behind the net, Andrew Cogliano fed in front to Parise, who knocked in his own rebound.

Josh Manson made it 4-2 when he left the penalty box, received a stretch pass from Nathan MacKinnon and scored 5-hole on a breakaway with seven seconds remaining in the period.

Georgiev made a point-blank save on Nikolaj Ehlers with 5:21 remaining in the third period, and Valeri Nichushkin scored into an empty net with 57 seconds left for the 5-2 final.

The Panthers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0. Game 3 is set for Thursday night in Tampa.

Florida won its 11th consecutive playoff overtime game, eight of those since the start of the 2023 postseason.

Sam Bennett and Verhaeghe each had a goal and an assist, Vladimir Tarasenko also scored and Matthew Tkachuk had two assists for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves for the victory.

Bennett left the game in the second period due to an upper-body injury, and he did not return.

Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos scored for Tampa Bay, and Victor Hedman added two assists. Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 34 saves.

Florida opened the scoring 6:16 into the first period.

Bennett, skating on the right wing, started the play by centering a pass just before looping around behind the net. As that was happening, Tkachuk drove to the net only to be pushed from behind by Tampa Bay's Brandon Hagel. Tkachuk crashed into Vasilevskiy as the puck fell to Bennett, who scored on a backhander into the open right side of the net.

The Panthers finished the first period up 2-0 thanks in part to a tripping penalty on Tampa Bay's Mitchell Chaffee, who clipped Eetu Luostarinen.

From there, the Panthers scored with their second power-play unit. Oliver Ekman Larsson started the sequence with a shot from the point. Bennett dug out the rebound and made a quick pass just a few feet to his right, where Tarasenko was wide open for the goal.

Tampa Bay got on the board 48 seconds into the second period.

Anthony Duclair, a former Panthers forward, earned the primary assist as his shot from just beyond the right circle deflected in off the right leg of Point, who was battling Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad for position in front of the net.

Tampa Bay, which had the top-ranked power play in the NHL during the regular season, tied the score 2-2 on Stamkos' shot with the man advantage at 5:46 of the second.

After an interference penalty on Verhaeghe, the Lightning went to work. Hedman earned the primary assist for his pass to Stamkos, who scored on a one-timer from the right circle. Stamkos' shot deflected off the stick of Ekblad, and the puck snuck inside the right post.

The Rangers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 heading to Game 3 on Friday in Washington. As in New York's 4-1 win on Sunday, the Rangers took control in the second period, but this time they had to survive a shaky final 10 minutes.

With eight seconds left on a cross-checking penalty to Washington defenseman John Carlson, Roslovic snapped a 2-2 tie with 7:34 remaining in the middle frame.

Roslovic cut to the left faceoff circle and got a pass from defenseman Erik Gustafsson. Roslovic finished off the play by lifting a hard wrist shot over Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren as the puck clanged off the crossbar and in.

While the Rangers were killing off a delay-of-game penalty on Gustafsson, New York's Chris Kreider stole the puck from Alex Ovechkin near the neutral zone and passed to Mika Zibanejad. Miller jumped into the rush in between the circles and one-timed Zibanejad's pass over Lindgren.

With 8:15 remaining in the third period, Tom Wilson deflected a shot by Hendrix Lapierre to get Washington within 4-3.

New York's Vincent Trocheck and Zibanejad netted goals in the first period. Alexis Lafreniere and Gustafsson collected two assists apiece.

Wilson finished with a goal and an assist while Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome also tallied for the Capitals.

New York goalie Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves, including a stop on Martin Fehervary shortly after Washington tied the game in the second and a glove save on Ovechkin with about 90 seconds left.

Lindgren allowed four goals on 27 shots.

Washington opened the scoring 5:09 into the game after New York defenseman Ryan Lindgren fumbled the puck in the slot trying to pry it from T.J. Oshie. McMichael gained possession and lifted the pick over Shesterkin for his first career postseason goal.

Nearly three minutes later, the Rangers converted a faceoff win by Trocheck into the tying goal. After winning the offensive zone faceoff from Lapierre, Trocheck cut to the crease and easily redirected Gustafsson's pass from near the blue line over Lindgren.

The Rangers took the lead with 5:23 left in the first after Lafreniere dug the puck out from along the left boards. Trocheck gained possession, spotted a wide-open Zibanejad in the right circle, and New York scored when Zibanejad's shot banked off the leg of Washington defenseman Alexander Alexeyev.

Strome tied the game on a power play 4:14 into the second. He tapped the puck in the crease past a sprawled-out Shesterkin after getting a feed from Wilson.

With Game 2 coming Wednesday in Edmonton, the Kings expect the biggest difference to be their own performance.

"It's a seven-game series, and you have to win the first to four. We're down 1-0, but we can easily win and make it 1-1 next game," Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. "We have to put it behind us and learn from what we did wrong and fix what we did wrong and bring it into the next game. That's not our model. That's not the way we play. It's frustrating. We just have to put that game in the past and get back to doing what we do best."

Led by their usual suspects, the Oilers staked a 4-0 lead by the game's midway point. The Kings pulled within two by the second intermission, but a couple of costly penalties led to a pair of Edmonton power-play goals early in the third period and it became a coast to the finish line for an Oilers team that scored three times with the man advantage.

"It was a couple of borderline (calls)," Kings coach Jim Hiller said. "When you could look at it and say you gave them a chance to make that call. There were two for sure that can't be in our game. ... You can't put yourself in a position where the referee's got to make a judgment call."

Aside from surrendering a pair of late goals that made the score appear tighter than it actually was, the Oilers opened their Stanley Cup chase with a textbook performance.

Connor McDavid became only the 13th player in NHL history -- Wayne Gretzky did it twice -- to record five assists in a playoff game, and the first since 1998. Zach Hyman collected a hat trick in a four-point performance. Evan Bouchard netted four assists, and both Leon Draisaitl and Adam Henrique collected one goal and one assist.

A huge key was taking the early lead and building on it, notably against a Kings team capable of strangling a team upon taking a lead.

"Starts are really important, especially against a team as well-structured defensively as the Kings are," said McDavid, who has collected 29 points in 14 career playoff games against Los Angeles. "It helps if you can score the first one, and it kind of forces them to open up a little bit."

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said his team succeeded by playing a structured game from being calm and composed.

"I don't think they were in a rush," Knoblauch said. "I think we were able to just pass the puck around rather than skating it, and we looked really organized. The passing and the execution were outstanding, and the power play was the difference."

This being the third consecutive opening-round meeting between Edmonton and Los Angeles, the Oilers only need to look at their one-on-one history to understand the value of Game 2. In the first two series, Los Angeles won the opener, but Edmonton took Game 2 and, ultimately, advanced.

"It just helps you in the sense that now, you've only got to win three instead of four," Hyman said. "You're not behind the gun, so it's good. We've got to defend home ice, so it's important to take care of business here."

Despite the turn of events, there was no sense of panic among coach Peter DeBoer's squad as the Stars head into Game 2 on Wednesday at Dallas.

The Stars have been in this position before. Twice last season, en route to the Western Conference final, Dallas overcame an early series deficit.

Dallas bounced back from home overtime losses in Game 1 to defeat both the Minnesota Wild in six games and the Seattle Kraken in seven games before falling to the Golden Knights in the 2023 Western Conference final.

"Been here before," said Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, who stopped just 11 of 15 shots in Game 1. "It's not the end of the world. Not an ideal start, but everyone is going to look at our game and try and be better. It starts with me. Try and be better and go from here."

Said DeBoer: "It's all about your response. If you're going to win this time of year, you've got to respond."

There were some positives for Dallas, which finished as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with 113 points.

After falling behind 3-2 in the first period, the Stars clamped down defensively, allowing just a Brayden McNabb goal the rest of the way. Dallas, which had a first-period goal wiped away after a coaches' challenge for offsides, outshot the Golden Knights 29-15, including 19-7 over the final two periods.

"I definitely felt like we were getting to our game the second half of the game," said Stars forward Mason Marchment, who scored to make it 4-3 midway through the third period. "It's going to be a good battle. This series is a long ways from over. We've got a lot of believers in this group and no quit here."

It was a storybook start for Vegas, which scored on two of its first three shots. Captain Mark Stone, playing for the first time since a lacerated spleen on Feb. 20, scored a power-play goal on a deflection after Dallas center Sam Steel was whistled for a high-sticking penalty just 26 seconds into the game.

"I was actually pretty nervous before the game," Stone said. "Haven't played hockey in a while, but once you get into the flow of things, you remember why you do it. That was awesome. Rest and get ready for Wednesday. We've got to bring our A-game because they're going to be coming."

It was Stone's 35th career playoff goal, 30 of which have come with the Golden Knights. Vegas finished 2-for-2 on the power play while Dallas finished 0-for-2.

"It was a pretty tightly contested game," Stone said. "I think the difference in the game was special teams. Did a good job on the power play ... and killed penalties and stayed with it."

Vegas led 2-0 after 8:27 after a goal from Jonathan Marchessault and 3-1 late in the first period after a power-play goal by Tomas Hertl. It was too deep a hole for the Stars to dig out from.

"I thought, if you're going to knock off the Stanley Cup champion, you're going to have to bring your A-game every night," DeBoer said. "... We did some things well, but we were chasing the game the whole night from the first shot of the game on. Tough to play behind against that team."

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet made the announcement, noting that Demko is day-to-day and that his current issue is not related to his previous knee injury. TSN, however, reported that Demko is questionable for the remainder of the series.

Casey DeSmith will start Tuesday's game for the Canucks, who posted a 4-2 victory over the Predators on Sunday in the opener of the best-of-seven series.

Demko, 28, made 20 saves in that game. He returned for the last two contests of the regular season after being sidelined since mid-March with a knee injury.

Demko enjoyed a career season in 2023-24, posting a 35-14-2 record with five shutouts, a 2.45 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 51 games (all starts) this season.

DeSmith, 32, went 12-9-6 with a 2.89 GAA and .895 save percentage in 29 appearances (27 starts) this season.

Matthews and the Maple Leafs will look to ride that momentum into Game 3 on Wednesday when the best-of-seven series shifts to Toronto. The 2021-22 Hart Trophy recipient was held in check during the series opener before scoring the go-ahead goal in the third period in Toronto's 3-2 victory on Monday.

Matthews also notched two assists, recorded eight shots, delivered six hits and won 69.6 percent of his faceoffs (16 of 23) in 23 minutes and 24 seconds of ice time.

"Auston, a goal and two assists and he's all over the stat sheet tonight in so many regards," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. "He's affecting the game positively for us. But to me, just the way he worked. He competed, he was hard. Physical. Winning puck battles all over the ice."

Maple Leafs captain John Tavares, who scored a power-play goal late in the second period, also was quick to give Matthews praise.

"He's just world class, everything he does," Tavares said of Matthews, who erupted for a career-high 69 goals during the regular season. "When you see the drive every single day, and the passion for the game, and wanting to be such a difference-maker night in and night out.

"At this time of year to have the night like he did was massive for our group. It puts us back on level terms going home, so big win for us and he certainly led the way."

Matthews slipped behind Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy to score on a breakaway with 7:54 remaining in the game to give Toronto a 3-2 lead on Monday. The Maple Leafs held on to snap an eight-game losing skid to the Bruins.

"It's an important time of year for our team," Matthews said. "These moments obviously are emotional. I'm really happy about the win. Going home split 1-1, we've got to continue to stay focused."

David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie each scored a goal on Monday for the Bruins.

"Next game you try to focus, don't focus on home or away, obviously the home fans help a lot, but at the same time you have to maintain the focus and focus on your game," Pastrnak said, per the Boston Globe. "So, we'll regroup and it'll get better."

Linus Ullmark allowed three goals on 33 shots after Jeremy Swayman turned aside 35 of 36 shots in Boston's 5-1 win in the series opener on Saturday.

"No second guesses. (Ullmark) was terrific. He made multiple, big-time saves," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "It's a strength of our team. Both of them played really well, right? We only scored two goals."

Toronto's William Nylander has missed the first two games of this series after sustaining an undisclosed injury in the team's regular-season finale last Wednesday. The availability for Game 3 is unknown for Nylander, who recorded career highs in assists (58) and points (98) to go along with his second straight 40-goal season.

"Obviously no update today, because not much happening for us here today except for getting ready to travel. But he's a possibility for us tomorrow, I guess, is all we would say," Keefe said Tuesday.

The Bruins will be without defenseman Andrew Peeke, who won't make the trip and is considered week-to-week after taking a puck to his left hand in Game 2.

Peeke appeared to be struck in the left hand by a puck before leaving the ice late in the second period of Game 2 on Monday night in Boston. He did not return.

The Maple Leafs won 3-2 to even up the Eastern Conference first-round series at one victory apiece. Game 3 will be on Wednesday night in Toronto.

Peeke, 26, contributed 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 38 games while splitting the regular season between the Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets.

He joined Boston in a four-team trade on March 8 that sent a third-round 2027 draft pick and defenseman Jakub Zboril to the Blue Jackets.

Peeke has recorded 44 points (10 goals, 34 assists) and 104 penalty minutes in 233 games since Columbus drafted him in the second round in 2016.

The Bruins recalled defenseman Mason Lohrei from Providence of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.

Lohrei, 23, posted 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 41 games with Boston this season.

Meier, 27, is expected to make a full recovery from the elective procedure in time for training camp.

He registered 52 points (28 goals, 24 assists) in 69 games in his first full season with the Devils in 2023-24.

New Jersey acquired Meier from the San Jose Sharks in a multi-player deal on Feb. 26, 2023.

Drafted No. 9 overall by San Jose in 2015, Meier has 382 points (191 goals, 191 assists) in 541 career games.

Steven Lorentz will draw into the lineup for the Panthers, who posted a 3-2 win over the Lightning in Sunday's opener of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series.

Lomberg, 29, recorded seven points (five goals, two assists) in 75 games this season. He registered one shot on goal in 6:32 of ice time Sunday in Sunrise, Fla.

Lorentz, 28, totaled three points (one goal, two assists) in 38 games this season.

Fedotov, 27, was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The 6-foot-8 netminder made his NHL debut on April 1, turning aside 19 of 21 shots in relief in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders. He posted a 0-1-1 record with a 4.95 goals-against average and .811 save percentage in three games (one start) this season.

Prior to joining Philadelphia, Fedotov spent this season with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. His stay there came despite the International Ice Hockey Federation ruling in favor of the NHL and Flyers last August that the goaltender's contract would be tolled after he missed the 2022-23 season after being called into military service in Russia.

Fedotov was selected by the Flyers in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Draft.

With goalie Frederik Andersen pulled for the extra attacker, Aho tipped in Andrei Svechnikov's shot to tie the game 3-3 with 2:15 to go. Martinook got the winner with 2:06 left when he jammed in a loose puck from the side of the net. Jake Guentzel added an empty-net goal with 56 seconds remaining.

Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists, Aho contributed two points, Andrei Svechnikov contributed two assists and Teuvo Teravainen also scored for Carolina. Andersen made nine saves.

Anders Lee, Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat scored for New York, which led 3-0 midway through the second period. Semyon Varlamov stopped 34 shots in the loss.

Maple Leafs 3, Bruins 2

Auston Matthews scored with 7:54 left in regulation to cap a three-point night and lift Toronto over host Boston in Game 2 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Monday.

Matthews had one goal and two assists, Max Domi added a goal and an assist and John Tavares also scored for Toronto, which returns home with the best-of-seven series tied at 1-1. Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves, including 10 in the third period.

Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak scored for the Bruins, who led 2-1 after one period. Linus Ullmark stopped 30 shots as Boston continued the goalie-rotation plan it utilized in the regular season. Jeremy Swayman started and won Game 1.

Oilers 7, Kings 4

Zach Hyman collected his first career playoff hat trick in a four-point game and Connor McDavid posted a playoff-best five assists to lead host Edmonton past Los Angeles in Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Adam Henrique and Leon Draisaitl both netted one goal and one assist, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Warren Foegele also scored and Evan Bouchard notched a career-best four assists for the Oilers, who snapped a seven-game skid in series openers. Stuart Skinner made 33 saves.

Adrian Kempe logged a goal and an assist and Mikey Anderson, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Trevor Moore also scored for the Kings. Cam Talbot stopped 38 shots.

Golden Knights 4, Stars 3

Logan Thompson made 27 saves in his NHL playoff debut as Vegas began its Stanley Cup title defense with a victory at Dallas in Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round series.

Brayden McNabb, Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault and Tomas Hertl scored and Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin each added two assists for the Golden Knights, who had never won Game 1 of a playoff series when playing on the road.

Mason Marchment, Jamie Benn and Jason Robertson had the goals for the Stars, who are the No. 1 seed in the West. Jake Oettinger finished with 11 saves and had an assist.

Adam Henrique and Leon Draisaitl both netted one goal and one assist, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Warren Foegele also scored and Evan Bouchard notched a career-best four assists for the Oilers, who snapped a seven-game losing skid in series openers. Goaltender Stuart Skinner made 33 saves.

Adrian Kempe logged a goal and an assist and Mikey Anderson, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Trevor Moore also scored for the Kings. Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 38 shots.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series will be Wednesday in Edmonton.

The Oilers, who eliminated the Kings in the opening round of the playoffs each of the past two seasons, won three of four regular-season meetings and continued that dominance.

Hyman, a 54-goal marksman in the regular season, opened the scoring 6:52 into the game, on the spot in the slot when McDavid's pass attempt was blocked.

Henrique doubled the lead at 9:36 of the first period when he wired a shot from the faceoff dot for his first playoff goal since June 11, 2012, while a member of the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final against the Kings. The span of 4,333 days between playoff goals was the longest in NHL history.

Hyman's second of the game, a converted shot from the slot seconds after Kings forward Viktor Arvidsson was denied on a breakaway, extended the lead at 4:50 of the second period.

Nugent-Hopkins made it a 4-0 game with a power-play goal at 8:24 of the middle frame.

Anderson, with his first career playoff goal, put the Kings on the board just past the midway point.

Kempe cut Los Angeles' deficit to two with 2:04 remaining in the second period, but the hosts pulled away after the second intermission.

Draisaitl's power-play goal, a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle 68 seconds into the third period, restored Edmonton's three-goal edge.

Hyman completed his hat trick with an easy redirect of McDavid's pass 6:17 into the final frame, Edmonton's third power-play goal of the night.

Late goals by Dubois -- with 3:04 remaining -- and Moore with 71 seconds on the clock made it a two-goal game, but Foegele iced the clash by scoring an empty-netter with 26 seconds to go.

Brayden McNabb scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, putting home a slap shot just 1:06 into the second period to give Vegas a 4-2 lead.

Mason Marchment halved Dallas' deficit at 11:46 of the third, but the Stars never found a way to draw even.

Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault and Tomas Hertl also scored and Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin each added two assists for the Golden Knights, who had never won Game 1 of a playoff series when playing on the road.

Jamie Benn and Jason Robertson also scored for Dallas, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Jake Oettinger finished with 11 saves and had an assist.

Stone, playing for the first time since Feb. 20 due to a lacerated spleen, gave Vegas a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal just 83 seconds into the first period. It was Stone's 35th career playoff marker.

The Golden Knights increased their lead to 2-0 when Marchessault snapped an Ivan Barbashev pass inside the far post. Marchessault has at least one point in 11 straight postseason games.

Benn cut Vegas' lead to 2-1 with a breakaway goal at 16:07 of the first.

Hertl put the Golden Knights back up by two goals at the 17:51 mark with a power-play tally, backhanding a shot past Oettinger. However, Robertson answered just 38 seconds later to make it 3-2.

McNabb had the only goal of the second. He last scored in the playoffs back in 2021, finding the back of the net in Game 4 of a semifinal series against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Stars pulled Oettinger for an extra attacker with 2:30 remaining, but Dallas was unable to get to Thompson, who stopped a snap shot by Benn with eight seconds left.

Game 2 is Wednesday night in Dallas.

Carolina leads the series 2-0. Game 3 will be played Thursday in Elmont, N.Y.

With goalie Frederik Andersen pulled for the extra attacker, Aho tipped in Andrei Svechnikov's shot to tie the game 3-3 with 2:15 to go.

Martinook got the winner with 2:06 left when he jammed in a loose puck from the side of the net.

Jake Guentzel added an empty-net goal with 56 seconds remaining.

Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists, Aho contributed two points, Andrei Svechnikov contributed two assists and Teuvo Teravainen also scored for Carolina. Andersen made nine saves.

Anders Lee, Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat scored for New York, which led 3-0 midway through the second period. Semyon Varlamov stopped 34 shots in the loss.

Jarvis brought the Hurricanes within 3-2 with 9:17 left. He beat Varlamov from the left circle with a wrist shot.

An apparent goal by the Islanders less than a minute later was disallowed because of a high stick.

Despite being outplayed for most of the first period, New York led 2-0 after 20 minutes.

The Islanders did not manage a shot for the game's first 12:32. Palmieri got the first shot and then got one past Andersen with 3:38 left in the opening period. Palmieri poked the puck in on his third try from just outside the crease.

Just after New York killed a tripping penalty on Adam Pelech, Horvat's one-timer from the high slot beat Andersen to the blocker side with 14.8 seconds remaining in the opening period.

Lee's power-play goal gave the Islanders a 3-0 lead 3:54 into the second period. All alone in front of the net, he slid a backhand shot past Andersen.

Teravainen put the Hurricanes on the board with a power-play goal at 13:01 of the middle period.

Carolina defenseman Brett Pesce sustained a lower-body injury during the second period and did not return for the third.

Max Domi had a goal and an assist and John Tavares also scored for Toronto, which returns home with the best-of-seven series tied at 1-1 ahead of Game 3 on Wednesday.

Toronto's Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves, including 10 in the third period.

Matthews logged his fourth career three-point playoff game, tied for the third most in Maple Leafs history. He had one goal and two assists.

Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak scored for Boston, which led 2-1 after one period.

Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark stopped 30 shots as the team continued the goalie-rotation plan it utilized in the regular season. Jeremy Swayman started and won Game 1.

Matthews made a high-class play for the winning goal, gliding down the slot for a top-shelf breakaway goal after gloving down Domi's high stretch pass and staying onside as he moved ahead of Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy.

The goal stood up as the decider as the Bruins were unable to take advantage of a power play when the Maple Leafs' Tyler Bertuzzi was called for slashing at 13:57.

Prior to Matthews' goal, Toronto had not led Boston in any regular-season or playoff matchup this season (five games).

Geekie netted the opening goal 10:18 into the first. He finished a pretty sequence with Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand for the power-play tally, shooting from the bottom of the left circle to put the Bruins ahead.

It took only 14 seconds for the visitors to respond. Domi picked up the carom of Matthews' shot off the crossbar near the blue paint and tucked it between Ullmark's pad and the left post.

Boston took a 2-1 lead with 7.8 seconds left in the first period. An uncovered Pastrnak took Pavel Zacha's no-look pass to the slot and fired a snap shot past Samsonov.

Toronto found a tying goal with 1:34 left in the second period. Tavares fired a turnaround wrister past Ullmark's blocker.

Both goaltenders came up with key saves to keep the 2-2 game early in the third, including Samsonov sprawling to deny a Marchand one-timer.

Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke didn't finish the game due to injury, but there was no official update on his condition.

Now, the onus is on the visiting Predators to retrieve it in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Tuesday in Vancouver.

The Predators were executing an excellent road game plan, holding a 2-1 lead near the midpoint of the third period, before they surrendered two goals 12 seconds apart en route to a 4-2 loss.

"The game was there for us," veteran Predators forward Ryan O'Reilly said. "We had a couple of lapses and I'm sure a lot of guys want some shifts back. I know I do. I know I have a lot better. It is what it is, but we'll move on and be fine."

The Predators, the Western Conference's top wild-card team, have seen a big part of the template necessary to draw even in the best-of-seven matchup.

"We were in it, for sure," Nashville captain Roman Josi said. "They scored two quick ones, kind of got momentum and that's how it goes in the playoffs. ... But I think we have another level."

After staking their 2-1 lead midway through the affair, including a goal on a power play, the Predators had a golden chance to extend their edge, but they failed to convert on three more man advantages before the Canucks drew even.

"(It) felt like we played a little slow there in the other power plays," Josi said. "Couldn't get much going, so that's definitely something that needs to be better."

Nashville has never won a seven-game series when losing Game 1, posting an 0-12 series record.

The Canucks, who rode a huge wave of emotion playing their first playoff game on home ice since 2015, are on the other end of the momentum pendulum. Now the key will be to maintain control of the series and their home-ice advantage.

More secondary scoring, which made the difference in the series opener, would help.

Although Vancouver's stars had a hand in the victory, it was the third line that made the difference.

Dakota Joshua scored twice in a three-point game, while Elias Lindholm -- who struggled after being acquired via trade in January, albeit because of a lingering injury -- scored once and created one of Joshua's goals with his forechecking skills.

"It's a special moment. I'll never forget it," Joshua said of scoring his first playoff goal, which held up as the game-winning tally. "And it makes you want to keep doing it."

As much as the Pacific Division champions can relish the victory, they are well aware improvements are necessary to build on it.

Perhaps it was a byproduct of the extra emotion, but the Canucks were guilty of too many penalties.

As well, Vancouver struggled to create offensive push until its quick-strike third-period tallies, and the Canucks were held to four shots on net in the first period.

"The way we played in the third, that's the way we want to play," Lindholm said. "There were shifts where we hemmed them in and spent a lot of time in the offensive zone. That's our identity, and we can take it from there."

An extra-motivated Predators squad necessitates improvement.

"Just expect a response, but I'm not going to wait for them to respond," Canucks forward J.T. Miller said. "We should go at them again and go harder. We weren't perfect by any means and we can be even better, which is great."

The old adage that tight checking and limited scoring opportunities are part of playoff hockey was thrown out the window in Game 1, as the Jets held on for a wild 7-6 win on Sunday.

One difference in the series opener was the goaltending. Despite allowing six goals, Connor Hellebuyck was strong for the Jets, making 40 saves. Meanwhile, Alexandar Georgiev stopped 16 shots for the Avalanche.

Georgiev has given up 29 goals over his past six appearances dating back to the regular season. Backup goaltender Justus Annunen (illness) was not available on Sunday, and on Monday, Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Annunen was still sick. Annunen went 8-4-1 with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage as Georgiev's backup during the regular season.

"It's going to be about mental toughness, right? Not just for him, for our group," Bednar said on Monday when asked about Georgiev. "You have to be able to reset. Whether we won last night or lost last night ... you gotta reset and put it behind you."

Hellebuyck isn't facing similar questions after giving up six goals on 46 shots.

"It could have been worse," Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. "Seriously. We don't give up that many chances. We don't give up that many shots. And Connor had to play better, and he made a lot of big saves at the right time, which he always does. I'm not hanging any of those goals on him."

Kyle Connor and Adam Lowry each scored twice for Winnipeg, the No. 2 seed in the Central Division. Connor also had an assist, while Mark Scheifele notched a goal and two assists and Josh Morrissey added a goal and an assist.

On Monday, Bowness talked about the need to make it harder for the Avalanche to enter the Jets' zone.

"They got in way too easy, and we didn't pick up that second wave of defensemen coming up. They were able to get in and it wasn't one and done," Bowness said. "Sometimes those rushes are one and done, we get the puck and go. It was a rush, a chance, and we were scrambling too much. We didn't end enough plays."

The Jets tied a franchise record for most goals in a playoff game (also scoring seven in 2018 vs. Nashville) and ended a four-game home losing streak in the postseason.

Cale Makar notched a goal and two assists and Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen each contributed a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, the No. 3 seed in the Central.

MacKinnon gave the Avalanche a 3-2 lead late in the first on Sunday, but Winnipeg scored the next four goals and eventually led 7-4 before Colorado's late rally fell short.

"I thought our start was great tonight," Bednar said Sunday. "We haven't played the Jets well this year. We played a good game early in the season, but that's our first taste of us playing hard and them playing hard and seeing what's going to happen. And it's a seven-game series."

The Sabres announced Monday they have hired Ruff, who led the team from 1997 through early 2012, to serve a second stint in the position.

The Sabres needed to replace Don Granato, whom they fired last week at the end of another unsuccessful season. Buffalo missed the playoffs for the 13th straight year, matching the NFL's New York Jets for the longest active playoff droughts in the big four North American leagues.

Ruff -- the fifth-winningest coach in NHL history at 864 wins -- was available after the New Jersey Devils dismissed him on March 4.

The Devils made the playoffs in 2022-23, Ruff's third season on the job, but they took a step backward this past season. Ruff finished 128-125-28 as New Jersey's bench boss.

In 14-plus seasons with Buffalo, though, Ruff took the Sabres to the postseason eight times, including a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1999 where they lost to the Dallas Stars in six games. Ruff's Sabres teams went 571-432-78 before he was dismissed early in the 2012-13 campaign. He would later coach the Stars for four seasons.

"This is a team ready to take the next step," Ruff said in a statement. "I am both humbled and honored to be trusted to help this team win now. It is not a job that I take lightly. It is my goal to ensure that players believe in each other, play for each other and love being a Buffalo Sabre. There is no doubt that we all need to embrace the challenge ahead of us. The work starts today and I could not be more excited."

"As I went through the hiring process, it quickly became clear Lindy was the person for the job," Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. "He has experience, a proven track record, familiarity with young players and so much more. I want to be clear, though, that this hire was not made with nostalgia in mind. Lindy is the right person for the job now and any history with our organization and community is simply an added bonus."