Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has been suspended one game for interference on Washington Capitals forward Marcus Johansson in Game 3.
The Department of Player Safety handed down their decision Tuesday, noting that Letang's hit came outside the allowable time in which a player may finish a check.
The department also noted that Johansson's head was not the main point of contact.
Related: Capitals' Johansson not skating following Letang hit
During Monday's game, Letang was only issued a two-minute minor for interference, while Johansson also returned to the game.
Letang will miss Game 4, dealing a heavy blow to the Penguins' back end as the 29-year-old ranks third among remaining players in the postseason in ice time, averaging 29:14 a night.
The Penguins blue-liner will be eligible to return Saturday for Game 5 in Washington.
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A pair of Boston Bruins will be limited in how they prepare for the 2016-17 season.
David Krejci underwent surgery on his left hip and is expected to be out five months, while Torey Krug will miss six months following surgery on his right shoulder, the team announced Tuesday.
Based on those timelines, both players should be good to go in early and late October respectively, with Krejci ready in time for the start of the regular season.
Matt Beleskey also underwent surgery on his left hand and will be out six weeks.
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The Bruce Boudreau sweepstakes appear to be in full swing.
The Anaheim Ducks have given permission to both the Ottawa Senators and the Minnesota Wild to speak to former head coach Bruce Boudreau, according to Eric Stephens of the Orange Country Register.
Though Boudreau was fired by the Ducks last week, he remains under contract for one more season.
With Tuesday's firing of Bob Hartley, you can add the Calgary Flames to the growing list of teams interested in Boudreau's services.
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Given the chance, Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson would like to hand out his own kind of discipline to Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.
The defender will have a hearing Tuesday in reference to his high hit on Capitals forward Marcus Johansson in Game 3, but Wilson still appears vengeful.
"I'd love to be able to go out there and drop the gloves and grab Letang, but it's a new age," Wilson said, according to Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post.
The chance to do so will depend on whether or not Letang is dealt a suspension.
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Bob Hartley did all he could, but ultimately it wasn't enough.
The Calgary Flames dismissed the 55-year-old Tuesday after his fourth season with the team, a decision general manager Brad Treliving insists wasn't made lightly.
Related: Flames fire head coach Bob Hartley
"This decision was not based solely on this season," Treliving said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "Bob has taken this team as far as I feel he can take it.
"Bob built a foundation and put his heart and soul into this team every day, he bled for this team."
BTW, the last #Flames head coach to make it through four seasons was Bob Johnson, who had five years at the helm (1982-83 - ’86-’87).
— Randy Sportak (@RandySportak) May 3, 2016
While rumors swirled the decision to relieve Hartley may have come after Bruce Boudreau hit the market following his dismissal as coach of the Anaheim Ducks, Treliving shot that idea down.
"Today's decision isn't about anyone waiting on the on-deck circle," said Treliving. "Today we start the process of finding the next coach.
"We made this decision today with nobody else in mind."
Treliving: "The most critical decision you make as a GM is who you hire as a coach." (Keep in mind, Treliving inherited Hartley.)
— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) May 3, 2016
The Flames become the fourth NHL team looking to fill its head coaching role, joining the Ducks, Minnesota Wild, and Ottawa Senators.
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Ryan Strome will watch Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning from the press box.
The young New York Islanders forward will sit as a healthy scratch Tuesday after being similarly benched by head coach Jack Capuano in two games during the opening round. Josh Bailey will draw into the lineup in his stead.
Strome hasn't yet spoken with the coach about the decision.
"Last series (the message was) I needed to be a little harder to play against," Strome said, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. "Points don't always tell the whole story. I'm always confident in my game, but unfortunately I don't make the decisions. I have to live with it.
"But it's an important time here and no matter what I'm thinking right now, it's all about the team. I'm sure Bails will do a great job."
Strome has recorded one goal, three assists, and 10 shots in six playoff games.
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Any rumors regarding a potential P.K. Subban trade to the Edmonton Oilers can be put to rest.
TSN's Darren Dreger was on TSN Radio 690 on Tuesday where the topic of a potential trade between the Montreal Canadiens and Oilers involving the club's star defenseman was discussed. Dreger was quick to note a discussion with Oilers' general manager Peter Chiarelli, who told him such a deal was not in the works.
"Peter Chiarelli told me point blank there's been no conversation, there likely wouldn't be any conversation," said Dreger, adding Chiarelli told him: 'this is all industry fodder that you guys (media) want to talk about when things are slow".
Subban finished tied for ninth in points by a defenseman this season with 51, despite missing the team's last 14 games with a neck injury.
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"They won a god-damn lottery."
A little more than four years after Brian Burke offered that boorish response to the suggestion that Toronto should tumble into position to nab a potential generational prospect, he sat scowling in a stool behind Brendan Shanahan's right shoulder, watching the new man in charge of the Maple Leafs earn the opportunity to select Auston Matthews at the 2016 NHL Draft.
Matthews is not just the first indisputable top-six center the Leafs will have deployed since Mats Sundin, but after a season receiving polish in the Swiss pro ranks, the Scottsdale, Ariz., native, who will turn 19 before making his NHL debut, could be the most NHL-ready prospect the league has seen since Alex Ovechkin.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews, C, Zurich (Swiss)
With Matthews idle, Patrik Laine was able to stir up a little momentum with his incredible postseason highlight tape over in Finland, but with the Maple Leafs' prospect nucleus primarily at wing, and their current No. 1 center potentially destined for a shift, Shanahan's group really has zero reason for pause here.
2. Winnipeg Jets: Patrik Laine, LW, Tappara (Finland)
Saturday's big winner in terms of jump, the Jets will do just that at the chance to aid the league's worst power play with a decorated marksman. Laine does not just score; he does it in ways only a handful can do with regularity.
3. Columbus Blue Jackets: Jesse Puljujarvi, RW, Karpat (Finland)
At 6-foot-3 and 200-plus pounds with blazing speed and offensive skills, Puljujarvi is a dream addition for the Jackets, who covet heavy top-six talent. There will be worse gigs than centering Puljujarvi and Brandon Saad on a first line down the road.
4. Edmonton Oilers: Olli Juolevi, D, London (OHL)
It behooves the Oilers to either trade out or down, but if Edmonton does select at No. 4, it will have a chance to pluck the top defender off the board. Scouts see Juolevi as a smooth-skating, efficient puck-mover who should be able to effortlessly send those talented forwards away in transition.
5. Vancouver Canucks: Pierre-Luc Dubois, LW, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
Vancouver fell haplessly from the top three, but may still have choice among North American skaters barring a deal involving Edmonton. Benning has already expressed a fondness for Dubois, who's more versatile and perhaps more complete than Matthew Tkachuk.
6. Calgary Flames: Matthew Tkachuk, LW, London (OHL)
The center-ice position is already adorn with lottery talent, so the Flames should spring for Tkachuk - a strong, sandpapered winger with a nose for the net and who could complement Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau quite well.
7. Arizona Coyotes: Jakob Chychrun, D, Sarnia (OHL)
Patchwork defense doesn't work out west. The Coyotes need to insert a high-ceiling defensive prospect into the system - something they haven't done over the last four drafts. Chychrun has the toolbox to perhaps one day fill out a top pair with Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
8. Buffalo Sabres: Alexander Nylander, LW, Mississauga (OHL)
The Nylanders might remain connected by highway if Alex is around at No. 8. With Ryan O'Reilly and Jack Eichel locked into the center-ice slots for the foreseeable future, Alex satiates a need on the flank.
9. Montreal Canadiens: Logan Brown, C, Windsor (OHL)
Montreal can really go any direction here, but mustn't need to be coerced into taking the second center down off the draft board. Brown models his game around Joe Thornton, and in his draft season, distributed like him, too.
10. Colorado Avalanche: Mikhail Sergachev, D, Windsor (OHL)
The swiftly rising Sergachev, who was named the OHL's top defenseman in his rookie season in North America, seems like an obvious jump point for the Avalanche, who have a persisting need for back line help.
11. New Jersey Devils: Tyson Jost, C. Penticton (BCHL)
Jost finished with 104 points in 48 BCHL starts and broke Connor McDavid's scoring record at the U-18 Championship. Could be a fit there for a team that scored the fewest goals league-wide.
12. Ottawa Senators: Clayton Keller, C, USA U-18 (USHL)
After selecting Colin White in the first round last year, the Senators should tap into the U.S. development program again, taking the volume-scoring Keller. He was immensely productive in all levels of competition this season, and possesses the creative element the Senators require up front.
13. Carolina Hurricanes: Michael McLeod, C, Mississauga (OHL)
Scouts may not see superstar potential, but the quick, multi-use pivot should be a quality pro for a long time. And a safe bet for the Hurricanes.
14. Boston Bruins: Charles McAvoy, D, Boston University (NCAA)
The BU product was regarded as one of the best freshman defenders in Division I. With Jakub Zboril, Brandon Carlo, and perhaps another first-round talent like McAvoy, the Bruins may be able to transition from the Zdeno Chara era after all.
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Marcus Johansson may not have escaped injury after all.
The Washington Capitals forward will not skate Tuesday due to an upper-body injury and will be re-evaluated Wednesday, the team has announced.
The update comes the morning after Johansson was helped off the ice after a late hit from Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3.
Johansson returned in the second period and was able to record six shots and dole out nine hits in 18 minutes of ice time.
The nature of head injuries, however, means symptoms can show up later.
Johansson said he went through protocol after hit from Letang and was cleared to return. But, said neck was sore after game.
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) May 3, 2016
Letang will have a hearing Tuesday for the hit.
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