NHL Rink Wrap: Bruins, Lightning, Oilers force Game 7s

• We will have three Game 7s on Saturday night thanks to wins by Boston, Tampa Bay, and Edmonton on Thursday night. 

• The Toronto Maple Leafs miss another chance to advance in a way that only they can. 

• The St. Louis Blues are advancing to the Second Round for a rematch with the Colorado Avalanche. 

Given the way the regular season series between these two teams went, and the way this playoff series started, it is hard to believe these two teams would be going to a Game 7. But they are thanks to Boston’s convincing win on Thursday night that was highlighted by a balanced Bruins offensive attack, a stellar defensive effort that limited Carolina to just 25 shots on goal, and 23 saves from starting goalie Jeremy Swayman. After losing five consecutive games to Carolina, Boston has now won three of the past four and is just one game away from advancing.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were 10 minutes away from winning their first playoff series in 18 years. Just 10 minutes. But a pair of high-sticking penalties, a Nikita Kucherov 5-on-3 goal, and an unfortunate sequence of events in overtime allowed the Lightning to even the series and send this series to a massive Game 7 on Saturday night in Toronto. The Maple Leafs are the ones facing all of the pressure, needing to re-write the narrative of postseason failure that has followed them around for the past five years.

We now know if at least one Second Round matchup that is set. The St. Louis Blues are moving on to face the Colorado Avalanche thanks to a convincing 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. The Blues wrapped up this series by winning three consecutive games, scoring five goals in each contest. Their offense is one of the best in the NHL and it was on display in