NHL Three Stars: Pacioretty leads Habs; Kane helps Blackhawks sweep Wild

No. 1 Star: Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens 

Pacioretty helped guide the Canadiens to a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning with a three-point night. His shorthanded goal midway through the first period helped give Montreal a 2-0 lead. He also assisted on Andrei Markov’s opening tally and Brendan Gallagher’s goal that gave the Canadiens a 5-0 lead in the second period.

No. 2 Star: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks completed their sweep of the Minnesota Wild with a 4-3 victory Thursday night. Kane notched his seventh of the postseason in the third period to put the game out of reach. He also assisted on Andrew Shaw’s power play goal early in the second period. The goal was his fifth of the series.

No. 3 Star: Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks

Crawford made 34 stops in the win as he’s bounced back from losing the starting job in Round 1 to Scott Darling.

Honorable Mention: Despite the loss, Tampa’s power play cashed in on two of their three opportunities … Carey Price made 22 stops … Alex Galchenyuk and P.K. Subban each recorded a pair of assists … Tomas Plekanec was 19-for-27 in the face-off circle … Bryan Bickell and Jonathan Toews had two assists each … Marian Hossa’s empty-netter was his first goal in 22 playoff games.

Did You Know? Chicago has reached the Western Conference Final five out of the last seven seasons.

Dishonorable Mention: Tampa’s eight-game winning streak over Montreal came to an end … Ben Bishop was pulled after allowing three goals on 14 shots … Michal Rozsival’s ankle: not good … Minnesota never led in the series … The Blackhawks have eliminated the Wild for three straight postseasons.

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