The story book season continues for the 25-year-old Swede, as Karlsson is coming off an All-Star caliber year in which he registered career highs in goals, assists, and points (43, 35, and 78).
Even after watching Brayden Point's line get torched in Game 1, Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper didn't consider making any adjustments.
The trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak was typically dominant in a series-opening win, combining for 11 points, with Point finishing a team-low minus-five, and linemates Tyler Johnson (minus-3) and Ondrej Palat (minus-4) joining him on the ice for several of those goals.
Cooper said he gave zero consideration to switching the Point line away from the Bergeron line, though, and it paid off as Tampa Bay evened the series with a Game 2 victory.
"We had faith in them," Cooper said after the win. "If there was any talk of switching them off, those three would have walked right into my office and said ‘What are you doing?'"
Point subsequently rebounded quite nicely, in fact.
Point is just the third player in @TBLightning franchise history to collect at least four points in the playoffs:
Two-thirds of the world is covered by water. The other third is covered by Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who proved once again on Monday that his flexibility and net coverage knows no bounds.
Vasilevskiy sprawled cross-crease during the second period to rob Bruins forward David Backes of what looked to be a surefire goal.
In the wake of Tom Wilson's hit on Brian Dumoulin in Game 2 between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, the NHL's Department of Player Safety released a video Monday clarifying what "unavoidable head contact" is, based on the league rulebook.
After the incident was reviewed, Wilson avoided suspension, and the video illustrates three separate examples from earlier in the season which warranted similar decisions. According to the league, because Dumoulin stopped suddenly and turned, supplemental discipline was not deemed necessary.
The DoPS also released a video earlier in the month explaining Rule 48, which pertains to hits when a player's head is the main point of contact.
Lou Lamoriello's tenure as Toronto Maple Leafs general manager was short, but over the course of those three years, the club's fortunes and future shifted dramatically.
Hired by team president Brendan Shanahan on July 23, 2015, the eventual Hall of Fame executive took the helm of a franchise in the throes of a rebuild, a process that many hoped would finally bring the Maple Leafs not only back to relevance, but ultimately rival the great success stories of the NHL's salary cap era.
After bottoming out (with a purpose) in his first year on the job, Lamoriello's Maple Leafs have improved season over season, with certain key moves along the way considered critical to that success, and maybe a couple others seen as potentially burdensome as the club moves on under new management.
An honorable mention off the top: Selecting Auston Matthews first overall in 2016 was obviously a franchise-altering event, but we can't pump Lamoriello's tires too hard for that one. Making that pick is like hitting a hole in one in mini putt where the cup sits directly at the bottom of a narrow funnel.
Time will tell whether the other picks made under his watch in 2016 and 2017 - none of whom have cracked the NHL lineup - will pan out.
Trading Phaneuf to Ottawa
With Phil Kessel having already been jettisoned to Pittsburgh by the previous regime as part of a big move in a different direction, Lamoriello pulled off another seismic deal seemingly out of nowhere with the rival Ottawa Senators.
Gone was Dion Phaneuf and a host of spare parts in exchange for, well, a bunch of other guys who would never suit up for Toronto. In essence, the deal saw Toronto not only part ways with its captain but also shed a boatload of salary while taking on some pieces that would be quickly discarded.
The Maple Leafs went on to finish dead last that season, allowing them to draft potential future captain Matthews.
Locking up Kadri, Rielly
Lamoriello locked up a pair of core, young players, signing defenseman Morgan Rielly and forward Nazem Kadri to six-year contracts.
Rielly's deal is worth $30 million ($5-million cap hit), while Kadri's is set at $27 million ($4.5-million cap hit), both of which have provided excellent value for Toronto, and will for years to come.
Acquiring franchise goalie
Later in 2016, Lamoriello concluded the goalie tandem of James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier wasn't going to cut it, leading him to acquire Frederik Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a pair of draft picks, including a first-round selection that year.
That pick was used by Anaheim to add forward Sam Steel, who has yet to make his NHL debut.
Andersen was immediately signed to a five-year, $25-million contract extension, and Toronto has ridden him hard over the past two seasons, as no other goalie has faced more shots from the opposition.
If the Maple Leafs are going to reach the promised land anytime soon, it'll be on Andersen's back.
Gotta have grit
Try as they might to navigate the waters of a new speed- and skill-based NHL, the Maple Leafs could not resist committing money and term to tough guy Matt Martin, who was signed to a four-year, $10-million contract on July 1, 2016.
Martin appeared in all 82 regular-season games and six playoff contests in the first year of his deal, but dressed for only 50 this past season, and none in a first-round series loss to Boston. Still, he was protected from the expansion draft, with skilled forward Brendan Leipsic landing in Vegas.
Only two years to go on this one; not Lou's finest moment to be sure.
Extending Zaitsev for a long, long time
Speaking of questionable decisions ...
No Maple Leafs player has a longer-running contract than defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, who signed a seven-year, $31.5-million deal on May 2, 2017 after having completed his rookie season.
Unfortunately for Toronto, the Russian took a step or three back this past season, the first under his new deal.
Zaitsev has a modified no-trade clause that will come into effect beginning in 2019-20 as well, meaning he'll be harder to move over the final five years.
Adding veteran experience
As free agency opened in 2017, Lamoriello announced two big signings on consecutive days.
Fresh off a Cup win in Pittsburgh, defenseman Ron Hainsey was brought aboard on a two-year, $6-million deal, and a day later, forward Patrick Marleau - long in search of hockey's greatest prize - surprised many by making the move from San Jose to Toronto on a three-year, $18.75-million deal after two decades in Northern California.
Both did all that could be asked of them and more during their first seasons in blue and white, and will be counted on to bring the kind of leadership and experience needed to go deeper in the playoffs in 2019.
Team-friendly deals for Hyman, Brown
Also last summer, the Maple Leafs extended a pair of restricted free agents with solid deals for the team: winger Zach Hyman at four years and $9 million, and Connor Brown for three years and $6.2 million.
In order to succeed in the salary cap era, you need secondary scoring on the cheap, and having Hyman and Brown signed to these deals as the likes of Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner come up for big-money deals is huge.
A new GM will be on the job if and when Toronto makes good on years of hope, but Lamoriello's legacy will only be boosted by what he was able to accomplish while working for Shanahan, a player he drafted second overall in 1987 back in his New Jersey days.
After the Golden Knights tweeted a photo of Miller during Game 2 of their series against the San Jose Sharks, some accused him of being a bandwagon fan.
The Carolina Hurricanes terminated the contract of president of hockey operations Ron Francis on Monday, the team announced.
The club also announced that Joe Nieuwendyk has resigned as a pro scout and advisor.
The move comes after Francis was reassigned from his general manager duties to president of hockey operations back on March 7. Since then, the team has reportedly seen a number of GM candidates pull themselves out of the running for the job. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the GM role has been appointed to Don Waddell for the time being.
Last week, former head coach Bill Peters signed with the Calgary Flames after opting out of his contract with the team.
On the flip side, the Hurricanes were lucky enough to acquire the second overall pick on Saturday at the draft lottery, which Waddell feels should make the team more appealing to potential coaches and GM candidates.
Lou Lamoriello isn't planning on leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs anytime soon.
The 75-year-old held a conference call Monday addressing the news he won't return as the team's general manager next year. He noted he plans to honor his original contract with the team and move into the role as senior advisor for four years, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Lou Lamoriello on how he plans to handle senior advisor role: "It's an unknown. I've never been in a situation like that."
Meanwhile, Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan stated the team has not yet made any decision as to who will take over as the team's new GM, adding there is no timetable set for a new hire.
There has been much speculation about whether one of the Maple Leafs' assistant GMs, Kyle Dubas or Mark Hunter, would take over as the team's new GM, but once again, MLSE remained tight-lipped as Shanahan would not confirm whether the team will consider any external candidates.
The Leafs will have no interim GM. Two assistant GMs -- Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter -- running the show until a successor is named.
Lou Lamoriello will not return as the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs next season, the team announced Monday.
"Three years ago, Lou and I agreed on a contract that would see him serve as general manager of the Maple Leafs for three years and then transition to senior advisor for the following four years," president Brendan Shanahan said in a release. "This morning, I informed Lou that I was not going to deviate from that course of action. I will now focus all of my attention towards making a decision regarding our next general manager."
The team also made the playoffs for the first time in a full 82-game season last year, repeating the trick this term while posting a franchise-best 105 points.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lou for his tireless work over the last three years as general manager," Shanahan said. "His leadership in helping establish a cultural foundation, as well as his invaluable mentorship to everyone in this organization, has been instrumental in our development."
The team will hold a conference call Monday at 1 p.m. ET.
