Devils' Hamilton scores in OT to cut series deficit to 2-1 against Rangers

Dougie Hamilton scored 11:36 into overtime and the visiting New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers 2-1 on Saturday night to cut their series deficit to 2-1.

Chris Kreider scored for New York. Igor Shesterkin stopped 26 shots.

In the extra period, Bratt found Hamilton on the right side, and the defenceman skated into the right circle and beat Shesterkin on the glove side.

Game 4 is back at Madison Square Garden on Monday night and Game 5 will be in New Jersey on Thursday night.

Schmid in his playoff debut made a left pad save on a shot by Braden Schneider about 1:40 into overtime. Shesterkin denied an attempt on the left side by Timo Meier two minutes later, and then the follow try on the rebound by Bratt. Schmid then gloved a shot by Vladimir Tarasenko six minutes into the extra period.

Bratt had a try from 10 feet away 8:14 into the third but his attempt was turned aside by Shesterkin to keep the score tied.

The Rangers got their fifth power play of the game with six minutes remaining when the Devils' Ryan Graves was sent off for high-sticking. Artemi Panarin had chance to give the Rangers the lead but his shot from the left circle was wide left of the net 32 seconds into the advantage.

Kreider got the Rangers on the scoreboard first as he got a pass from Mika Zibanejad, skated up the left side and fired a shot past Schmid's blocker from the left circle at 3:39 of the second period. It came on the Rangers' first shot of the period and was Kreider's fifth goal of the series — after the first four came on power plays — and 39th postseason score of his career.

With the Devils on their third power play of the game, Hughes got a pass from Hamilton on the left side, skated into the left circle and fired a shot that beat Shesterkin on the blocker side with 9:23 left in the second. It was Hughes' second goal of the series — the first came on a penalty shot in the third period of Game 1 — and New Jersey's second on a power play.

Each team had 11 shots on goal in a scoreless first period — the first scoreless period in the series.

The Rangers' Patrick Kane was called for hooking 22 seconds in, putting New Jersey on an early power play. The Devils managed one shot on goal during the advantage. Artemi Panarin had a breakaway with 7 1/2 minutes left in 1st but his shot went wide over Schmid's glove.

MacKinnon leads Avalanche over Kraken

Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen scored in a 1:28 span early in the third period and the Colorado Avalanche spoiled Seattle Kraken's first home playoff game with a 6-4 victory Saturday night in Game 3 of the first-round series.

MacKinnon scored his first two goals of the playoffs, Cale Makar added his first of this postseason after winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of last year's championship run, and Rantanen scored for the second straight game, capping the victory with an empty-net goal with 2:14 left.

MacKinnon scored on a breakaway late in the first period to give Colorado a 2-1 lead. His second goal was even better, taking advantage of Seattle's fourth line getting stuck on the ice and ripping a wrist shot past Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer for a 5-3 lead.

MacKinnon's second goal came moments after Rantanen finished off a 3-on-2 rush and silenced fans in a frenzy after Seattle's second-period rally.

J.T. Compher scored short-handed in the first period and Makar's goal at 4:33 of the second period gave the Avalanche a 3-1 lead. Makar's goal came off a clean faceoff win by Colorado and left Seattle's fans murmuring uncomfortably instead of the deafening cheers in the opening moments of the game.

Alexandar Georgiev made 26 saves for the Avalanche. Game 4 is on Monday night in Seattle.

Jaden Schwartz became the answer to a trivia question when he gave Seattle a 1-0 lead tipping Justin Schultz's shot past Georgiev just 6:08 into the game. Jamie Oleksiak and Matty Beniers then scored 19 seconds apart during a wild sequence in the second period to pull Seattle even.

Oleksiak's seventh career playoff goal was a nifty backhanded finish after stickhandling through several Colorado defenders and Beniers scored the first of what Seattle hopes is many playoff goals at 13:10 of the second period.

Grubauer made 28 saves for Seattle.

The first home playoff game in Kraken history was met with fans lined up outside Climate Pledge Arena long before doors opened and in full throat with the puck finally dropped just after 7 p.m. local time. It was the first home game in Kraken history but games for the Stanley Cup had been played in Seattle — 104 years ago to be exact when the 1919 Stanley Cup final between Seattle and Montreal was abandoned after Game 5 due to a flu pandemic.