National ice hockey goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer has reached the NHL playoffs with the Seattle Kraken for the first time in the club’s young history. After beating the Arizona Coyotes 4-2, the team from the north-east of the USA can no longer be ousted from one of the wildcard spots in only its second NHL season.
The Kraken are only the second team in 40 years, after the Vegas Golden Knights, to have done so in their second year. Grubauer parried 27 of the 29 shots on his goal.
The Golden Knights, for their part, secured first place in the Pacific Division. With a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas now has a three-point lead over Leon Draisaitl’s Edmonton Oilers and six points over the Kings. Three games are still outstanding in the main round.
Boston Bruins ahead of NHL record
The best team in the NHL main round, the Boston Bruins, meanwhile, is only one more win away from the NHL record. The 2-1 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs was the 61st win of the season for the Eastern Conference leaders – the record in the world’s top ice hockey league is 62 wins in one season. The Bruins have four more games in the main round.
Meanwhile, two templates by Moritz Seider were not enough for the Detroit Red Wings. The team lost 6-7 to the Buffalo Sabers after a penalty shootout. Seider’s 37th assist of the season had allowed the Red Wings to equalize 6-6 a minute before the end of regular time, having previously been involved in the goal that put them 2-1 up.