The Golden Knights closed out the series following the same formula they used after losing Game 1: They grounded the Jets on the tarmac.

Chandler Stephenson scored his first of two goals to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead. Captain Mark Stone doubled the lead, followed by a goal from William Karlsson before Stephenson grabbed his second to push it to 4-0 to end the second. 

As for Winnipeg, Jets coach Rick Bowness, who is in his first season with the club, blasted the team after the game. Asked for his thoughts, Bowness said he was "disgusted and disappointed."

He was asked for the source of his frustrations.

"No pushback. But it's the same crap that we saw in February," Bowness said, referencing when the Jets went from having one of the best records in the West to losing six games and putting their postseason aspirations in jeopardy. "As soon as we were challenging for first place and teams were coming after us, we had no pushback. This series, we had no pushback. Their better players were so much better than ours, it's not even close."

Nathan MacKinnon made a statement about the Seattle Kraken that was just as profound as the one made by the Colorado Avalanche on a historic night in Seattle.

That message? Nobody should be underestimating the Kraken.

"It's a really great team. This is definitely the hardest first round I've been in, I think," MacKinnon said when asked for his biggest takeaway after three games. "Sometimes, the last few years, we've been the top seed and we've not gotten easy teams, by any means. But this Seattle team is a 100-point team. They're really good, and we're going to have to continue to be our best to beat them."

The New York Islanders broke a 79-year-old Stanley Cup playoffs record for the fastest four goals by one team in their 5-1 Game 3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

The win cut New York's first-round Eastern Conference series deficit to 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday at UBS Arena.

After missing the playoffs for the first time in their short franchise history last year, the Vegas Golden Knights wanted to savor this Pacific Division title.

"I'm definitely proud of the group the way they handled that and came back this year, played a lot of good hockey," Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez said. "But again, everything with a caveat. We haven't won anything yet."

Martinez broke a tie midway through the second period, and the Golden Knights won their third Pacific Division title with a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken in the regular-season finale Thursday night.

Vegas finished 51-22-9 with 111 points, tying the franchise record for victories and holding off the late surge from Edmonton to win the division title and clinch home ice advantage in the Western Conference.

If the teary-eyed hugs with his two sons and wife at the Zamboni entrance weren't hints enough, Sabres goalie Craig Anderson made it official following a 4-3 overtime win against Ottawa on Thursday night. He's retiring after a 20-year career.

"This is it," Anderson said after a 30-save performance in Buffalo's home finale in which he was mobbed by his teammates and celebrated in front of a crowd chanting, "Andy! Andy! Andy!" after Casey Mittelstadt scored to secure the win 1:18 into the extra frame.

The New York Islanders defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on Wednesday night to clinch the final Stanley Cup playoff berth and eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins, ending their streak of 16 straight playoff appearances.

Brock Nelson had two goals, while goalie Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves.

"It's exciting. Going from looking pretty dark for 24 hours to clinching a spot at home, it's awesome," said Islanders winger Zach Parise.

The Boston Bruins are the now the most successful regular-season team in NHL history, owning both the single-season wins and points records.

The Bruins defeated the visiting Washington Capitals 5-2 on Tuesday night for 133 points in the standings, breaking the Montreal Canadiens' single-season record of 132 points set in 1976-77.

The Boston Bruins have set a new NHL single-season record with 63 wins, defeating the Flyers 5-3 on Sunday at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center.

Bruins forward David Pastrnak tallied a hat trick to give him 60 goals on the season, second only to Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (64).

"It's been a lot of fun, I'm not going to lie," Pastrnak said of the season. "It's been enjoyable, especially the group we have here. We obviously knew the stakes, and it's definitely special to hit it in a game like this. Made history today in the biggest league in hockey."

Quinnipiac won its first NCAA Division I men's hockey national championship Saturday night, posting a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory in overtime over Minnesota at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

The Boston Bruins have tied the NHL's single-season record with 62 wins, joining the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Bruins matched the milestone Saturday night when Pavel Zacha scored two goals in the first five minutes to propel them to a 2-1 win over the visiting New Jersey Devils.