A professional hockey team shouldn't have to say sorry for something like this, but here we are.

The Toronto Maple Leafs issued an apology to fans Saturday after unfollowing thousands of people the day before.

"The Maple Leafs' social media channels are one of the team's most important tools to engage and communicate with you, our fans," the club said in a statement. "Yesterday, as we (begun) work this offseason to make improvements to all of our social media channels, we reset the list of Twitter accounts we follow to make sure it is current and represents the team, and all of its fans, accurately and fairly."

The explanation continued with an apology and an expression of regret over not informing people of the purge before carrying it out.

"What we didn't do (was) tell our fans what we were doing and why, and for that we apologize. Our intentions remain fan-focused, but our mistake was not making the process more fan-friendly. Over the coming days and months, we will be following the accounts that help us deliver the best experience for you as you follow and interact with your Toronto Maple Leafs."

The Leafs went from following about 8,000 users to one, team president Brendan Shanahan, but have since added more than 70 accounts to their timeline.

Predictably, some fans weren't happy when they realized they'd been unfollowed.

Some fans even resorted to unfollowing or blocking the team account in protest.

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There's no superstar in the making available in this year's draft class, and no catchy "Fail for Nail" campaign either.

But the 2017 entry draft still presents some interesting scenarios for the teams at the top, who, if lucky enough to win Saturday's lottery, will likely use the first pick to select Brandon Wheat Kings center Nolan Patrick or Halifax Mooseheads winger Nico Hischier.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche were the worst of the worst this season, ending the year with just 48 points. It was the poorest finish since the Atlanta Thrashers pieced together a 39-point campaign in their inaugural season in 1999.

The addition of either Patrick or Hischier would spark a new beginning in Denver, where the rumor mill is already in full swing in regards to wholesale changes this offseason.

The possibility exists the Avalanche could deal center Matt Duchene, a one-time third overall pick, or captain Gabriel Landeskog to bring in the pieces needed to fix their ailing roster, particularly on the blue line.

Related: Your guide to the NHL Draft Lottery and the top 2 projected picks

A top pick would have someone to compare notes with in Colorado, as the Avalanche selected forward Nathan MacKinnon first overall in 2013.

Vancouver Canucks

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Earlier this week, Canucks president of hockey operations Trevor Linden begrudgingly admitted his club is rebuilding. Kicking things off with a first overall pick would make the transition much smoother.

The Canucks have never drafted first overall in their 47-year history, with their most recent high pick coming in 1999, when they selected Daniel Sedin at No. 2.

The Sedin twins have one year remaining on their contracts, and the addition of Patrick - a potential successor to Henrik Sedin at center - or Hischier would usher in a new era in Vancouver.

"I think the top two players in this draft have the potential to maybe step in and play next year and be productive players at the NHL level," Canucks general manager Jim Benning told the team's website.

Vegas Golden Knights

What better way to jump-start a new franchise than a top pick?

Here's how the recent expansion clubs fared at their first entry draft:

The inkling here is the Golden Knights would use the top pick on Patrick. The team's assistant general manager, Kelly McCrimmon, is the longtime owner of the Wheat Kings, for whom he also served as GM and head coach, and had countless opportunities to scout Patrick.

He'd be the second player from the Wheat Kings to join the Golden Knights, after the club signed Brandon free-agent forward Reid Duke on March 6.

The Golden Knights could make their debut in style with a lottery win. After all, winning and Las Vegas are synonymous.

Arizona Coyotes

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

The Coyotes haven't had a top center in 17 years - since the days of Jeremy Roenick. Here's a snapshot of the team's top producers up the middle over the past decade:

The Coyotes finished with the second-worst record in 2015, but were bumped down to the third pick after the Edmonton Oilers won the lottery for Connor McDavid, while the Buffalo Sabres took Jack Eichel second overall, leaving the Coyotes to draft Dylan Strome at three.

Another top talent was up for grabs a year later in Scottsdale native Auston Matthews, although the Coyotes didn't have great odds. Matthews impressed in his rookie season, potting 40 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As for Strome, he's come along nicely with the OHL's Erie Otters, with whom he wrapped his draft season with 129 points in 68 games. But he's not on the same generational level as McDavid, Eichel, or Matthews.

Nor is Patrick, the scouts say, but he'd be a nice addition for the crop of young talent GM John Chayka is assembling in the desert, where the Wheat Kings center would have the chance to play alongside not only Strome, but also Dvorak, Max Domi, Brendan Perlini, and Jakob Chychrun.

New Jersey Devils

The rebuild is on in New Jersey, where GM Ray Shero is quietly going about his business to bring the Devils back to respectability.

After capturing three Stanley Cups between 1995 and 2003, and staying in the contenders circle for the following decade, the page has since turned in New Jersey.

In recent seasons, the Devils have pulled off some big moves to boost their young squad, bringing in netminder Cory Schneider from the Canucks in 2013, and last offseason shipping defenseman Adam Larsson to the Oilers for scoring winger Taylor Hall.

Hall is a former top pick himself, chosen first overall in 2010, but he can't do it alone in New Jersey. The Devils finished with just 183 goals this season - third-worst in the NHL. More help could soon be on the way in the form of either Patrick or Hischier.

Success on the draft floor will be a key step as the Devils aim to climb the ranks in their ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division, where four teams cracked the 100-point plateau this season.

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The Carolina Hurricanes are taking a shot on Scott Darling.

By obtaining the rights to the former Chicago Blackhawks netminder, the Hurricanes now have an exclusive negotiating window to work out a contract extension prior to July 1, when Darling can become an unrestricted free agent.

"This is a bit of a gamble but one we believed was worth taking," Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. "This is why we accumulated these picks and we still have 10 left. It was worth the risk."

Carolina did not gauge Darling's interest prior to the deal, however Francis spoke with his new goaltender following the trade, noting Darling is "genuinely excited" about the opportunity in Raleigh.

Related: Why Darling to Carolina makes perfect sense for both sides

Darling has spent the past three years with the Blackhawks. He appeared in 32 games this season, posting a 18-5-5 record alongside a .924 save percentage and 2.38 goals-against average, numbers that put him ahead of both of Carolina's netminders in 2016-17:

"(Darling) was more than serviceable in his role in Chicago," Francis added. "He has been hoping to get the opportunity to be a No. 1 goalie and his numbers indicate he's capable of being a No. 1 goalie."

Ward and Lack are both signed through next season, though the Hurricanes will need to expose one of the goaltenders to the Vegas Golden Knights in the upcoming expansion draft.

If neither is chosen by the incoming club, the Hurricanes could look to deal either Ward or Lack to another team in search of insurance between the pipes.

Carolina parted with a third-round draft choice to acquire Darling, one of 11 picks they hold in this summer's entry draft, including two other third-rounders.

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Trouble in the crease in Anaheim. This is a recording.

Ducks goalie John Gibson hasn't been tip-top in the second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. On Friday, he allowed two goals on 23 shots, which was only slightly better than his Game 1 performance, when he let in four on 31.

Meanwhile, Oilers netminder Cam Talbot stole the show at the other end of the ice, stopping all but one of the 40 shots Anaheim fired at the Edmonton cage Friday.

As the series shifts to Edmonton with the favored Ducks down 2-0 and having lost home-ice advantage, could Ducks coach Randy Carlyle call for a change between the pipes?

Goaltender question marks during playoff time isn't uncharted waters for the Ducks. Former Anaheim bench boss Bruce Boudreau regularly shuffled his deck of Gibson, Frederik Andersen, and Jonas Hiller, among others, in search of the right answer.

Nor would a goaltending swap be a first for the Ducks this postseason. After Gibson allowed four goals on just 16 shots in Game 3 of the team's first-round matchup against the Calgary Flames, Jonathan Bernier entered in relief. He turned aside all 16 shots that came his way as the Ducks stormed back from a 4-1 deficit for an impressive 5-4 overtime win. The victory gave them a 3-0 stranglehold on the series before they swept the Flames two nights later.

It was more of the same from Bernier, who has rediscovered his game in his first season in Anaheim. The 28-year-old came up clutch earlier this year, holding down the top job with Gibson injured. He put up an 11-3-2 record and a .931 save rate in the Ducks starter's absence.

While Carlyle didn't confirm any future lineup changes following the Game 2 loss, he was in a more joyful mood prior to the contest.

"One time I said (my goalie) was 'just okay' and it got me in a lot of crap," Carlyle quipped to Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register.

With Game 3 coming Sunday in Edmonton, we'll know sooner than later if the Ducks will call for a change in their crease.

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A parade to the penalty box cost the Nashville Predators on Friday night.

Whistled for five penalties - forward Vernon Fiddler was also handed a game misconduct - the Predators put Game 2 on a platter for the St. Louis Blues.

After grabbing home ice advantage with a 4-3 in St. Louis in Game 1, the Predators weren't as fortunate in the second game, falling 3-2, as the Blues evened the second-round series at one.

Following the loss, Predators coach Peter Laviolette blamed his team's steady stream of infractions for Nashville ending the night on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

"Once we were done killing penalties, I thought our team played pretty well," Laviolette told reporters.

It was the Predators' first loss of the playoffs after sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in Round 1 and taking Game 1 against the Blues.

Nashville combined for 24 penalty minutes leading into Game 2, a total they nearly tied in Friday's performance alone:

"It takes the flow out of the game," Laviolette added. "It puts penalty killers on the ice too much. Too many guys sitting on the bench."

In other words, the team's top players were left to watch as the Predators' specialists took a regular shift in trying to minimize the Blues' night on the man advantage.

St. Louis scored just once on the power play, as winger Vladimir Tarasenko tallied his first of two on the night, tying the score late in the first period after James Neal grabbed an early lead for the Predators at 7:49.

The Blues were the far more disciplined club in Game 2, called for a single minor penalty. Predators center Ryan Johansen was dinged for two minors Friday.

"There are things we did that I liked tonight," Laviolette said, "But the bottom line is we've got to win hockey games and we didn't win tonight."

The series now shifts to Nashville on Sunday as the two sides ready for Game 3.

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ANAHEIM, Calif. - Cam Talbot made 39 saves, Patrick Maroon scored a power-play goal and the Edmonton Oilers moved halfway to the Western Conference finals with a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 2 of their second-round series Friday night.

Andrej Sekera scored an early goal for the Oilers, who took the first two games on Pacific Division champion Anaheim's home ice. Talbot was the difference in Game 2, making all manner of impressive saves while Anaheim dominated the last 30 minutes.

Jakob Silfverberg scored and John Gibson stopped 21 shots for the Ducks, who had gone 18 games without a regulation defeat before this series. Anaheim has never recovered from an 0-2 series deficit, losing all seven series after digging that early hole.

Game 3 is Sunday in Edmonton.

Edmonton's first playoff appearance in 11 years is off to a rollicking start, with the Oilers following up their six-game defeat of defending Western Conference champion San Jose by taking two games from the five-time champions of their division.

Anaheim has lost two straight games after an 18-game run since March 10 without a regulation defeat.

Although the Ducks dominated long stretches of play, Talbot had the latest outstanding game of his first career postseason run as a starting goalie. After posting two shutouts in the first round, Talbot stopped 72 of 76 shots in the first two games in Anaheim, including a number of outstanding stops to frustrate the Ducks in Game 2.

The Ducks also hit multiple posts, particularly in the one-sided third period. Nothing could get by Talbot, who made most of his tough saves well before the final eight minutes.

After a four-goal third period in the series opener, the Oilers entered the rematch with plenty of the same energy. The sellout crowd was still finding its seats when Sekera scored just 65 seconds into Game 2, slipping a long shot past Gibson for the defenseman's second career postseason goal and his first since 2011.

Anaheim gradually turned the period in its favor, but couldn't score. Edmonton also had golden chances, such as Connor McDavid getting alone and untouched in front of Gibson during a power play, but couldn't cash in.

Honda Center fell silent when Jordan Eberle's puck toward the net hit Maroon's skate and arched over Gibson for the power forward's second goal of the playoffs.

Maroon spent two productive seasons with the Ducks before they gave up on him in February 2016, but he has reinvigorated his career up north with a 42-point regular season.

The Ducks kept up their pressure and finally beat Talbot on the power play with a typically wicked wrist shot by Silfverberg. The Swede got his fourth goal of the postseason, matching his career high from the 2015 playoffs in 10 fewer games.

The Ducks again played without two top defensemen. Sami Vatanen missed his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury, while Kevin Bieksa sat out with an upper-body injury incurred during Game 1.

NOTES: Edmonton F Drake Caggiula played just one shift after the first period, apparently due to an injury. ... The Ducks scratched F Nick Ritchie with an apparent case of the flu. Jared Boll replaced him, appearing in the fourth playoff game of his 10-year NHL career. ... The Ducks lost the first two games of a series at home twice in the previous three postseasons, eventually losing those series to Nashville and Los Angeles.

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Everyone knows St. Louis Blues sniper Vladimir Tarasenko is an incredible talent, but it might be less obvious that he's one of the most clutch playoff performers among active skaters.

After his two-goal night Friday - including the game-winner - Tarasenko's scored 22 goals in 40 career playoff games.

"He's doing things that winners do," Blues coach Mike Yeo told reporters after the game. "... What he's done in the playoffs speaks for itself."

What's perhaps most impressive about Tarasenko's playoff dominance is the fact he's been able to produce at an incredible rate without a great supporting cast.

Tarasenko finished with 39 goals and 75 points this season. Only two other Blues - Jaden Schwartz (55) and Alexander Steen (51) - recorded 50 or more points, and Patrik Berglund (23) was the club's only other 20-goal scorer.

As the team's lone legitimate offensive threat, there is immense pressure on him to put the puck in the net. Simply put, if he doesn't score (or Jake Allen doesn't stand on his head), the Blues probably aren't winning.

Furthermore, over a best-of-seven series, teams can base their entire defensive strategy on trying to shut down Tarasenko. In spite of this extra time for game-planning, the Russian sniper continues to deliver when the lights are brightest.

Oh, and he's still only 25 years old.

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The St. Louis Blues pulled off a win Friday in Game 2 to knot their second-round series with the Nashville Predators at 1-1.

It's exactly what the Blues needed after Game 1, but the team shouldn't get too ahead of themselves because Friday's game was anything but pretty.

The Blues edged the Predators 3-2 thanks to two goals by Vladimir Tarasenko, but despite the possible re-emergence of their top star, the club as a whole looked pretty bad.

Related - Watch: Tarasenko's 2nd goal evens series vs. Predators

The Blues were outshot 24-20, and went just 1-for-5 on the power play (scoring on a five-minute advantage), and overall were severely outplayed with the Predators controlling the possession game with 61.18 percent.

As bad as that may seem, this isn't anything new for the Blues who, despite needing just five games to get by the Minnesota Wild in the first round, have been brutally outplayed even in games they've won.

Looking at the numbers, it's almost incredible that the Blues have been able to post a playoff record of 5-2. Of course, Jake Allen has been an anomaly, especially in Round 1.

It hasn't been pretty but at the end of the day a win is a win and the Blues will take them however they can get them.

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