NEWARK, N.J.
Taylor Hall had a goal and two assists, setting up Stefan Noesen’s game-winner with 7:05 play, and New Jersey scored four times in the third to beat Tampa Bay, 5-2 in Game 3.
Rookie Will Butcher had a power-play goal earlier in the third to tie the score 2- all, and Blake Coleman and Ben Lovejoy added empty net goals late. Cory Schneider made 34 saves while starting in place of Keith Kinkaid.
Schneider, who seemed to hurt his groin in a collision with Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh midway through the final period, survived a late power play to nail down the win and pull the Devils to 2-1 in the best-of-seven first-round series.
Alex Killorn and Steven Stamkos each had a powerplay goal and an assist for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov added two assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves.
Game 4 is Wednesday night at the Prudential Center.
Sharks 8, Ducks 1
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Joonas Donskoi scored one goal and set up another to start a four-goal barrage in the second period and San Jose raced past Anaheim for the third straight game to take a 3-0 series lead.
Donskoi scored and then set up Marcus Sorensen in the opening four minutes of the second period to seize control of the game and series.
Eric Fehr and Tomas Hertl added goals later in the second to turn this all- California series into a rout. Logan Couture had a goal and two assists, Joe Pavelski, Evander Kane and Timo Meier scored power- play goals in the third period, for the Sharks, who have outscored the Ducks 14-3 through the first three games of the first-round series.
Martin Jones made 45 saves, the most for a Sharks goalie in a regulation playoff game.
San Jose will look to complete the sweep in Game 4 at home Wednesday night.
Rickard Rakell scored a power- play goal for Anaheim, which has scored three goals all series — including just one at even strength.
Avalanche 5, Predators 3
DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including one as part of a three-goal first period and another to chase Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne from the game, and Colorado pulled to 2-1 in the firstround series.
Blake Comeau and Gabriel Bourque also scored in a furious opening period that revved up a pom-pom waving capacity crowd. Gabriel Landeskog was credited with an empty- net goal for the Avalanche, who snapped a 12-game skid against the Predators.
Game 4 is Wednesday in Denver.
MacKinnon’s goal at 4:25 of the second period gave Colorado a 4- 0 lead and prompted the Predators to pull Rinne in favor of backup Juuse Saros. Rinne allowed four goals on 15 shots.
Jonathan Bernier stopped 29 shots on a night when the Avalanche finished 0 for 5 on the power play. Ryan Johansen had a second- period goal and Colton Sissons scored another in the third to make it 4-2.
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