The Toronto Maple Leafs were already in tough to pull out a seven-game-series victory against a Boston Bruins squad stacked with talent up and down its lineup, but when Nazem Kadri was handed a three-game suspension on Friday for his hit on Tommy Wingels, things got even more challenging for Mike Babcock and Co.

Kadri is an integral part of Toronto's lineup, so naturally, fans and analysts have weighed in on what his absence from the Leafs' lineup will mean for the outcome of a series that has already provided its fair share of talking points.

With that in mind, NHL editors Josh Wegman and Flip Livingstone debate whether Toronto will sink or swim without its second-best center anchoring the middle of the ice.

Leafs will struggle without Nasty Naz

Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, David Pastrnak, and Rick Nash - a menacing crew of Bruins forwards you don't want to be squaring off against without your No. 2 centerman in the lineup. But that's exactly the task the Buds face for the next three contests.

Kadri might not be as flashy or as talented as Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner, but he's arguably just as important to Toronto's success, given his ability to play a complete game. A re-commitment to the defensive end since Babcock's arrival in 2015 has seen Kadri take his all-around ability to the next level, a fact showcased by his back-to-back 32-goal seasons.

In addition to leaving a big hole down the middle on the top power play (he was a 50-percent face-off man during the season), Kadri's absence will also be felt when matching up against the physical forward group mentioned above. His tenacious nature and sandpaper approach would have been crucial to the Leafs' plan over the next few games - a plan that will obviously need to be altered ahead of Game 2 on Saturday night.

Nothing against Andreas Johnsson or Patrick Marleau, the two forwards tasked with filling the majority of Naz's minutes, but they don't make up for the all-around quality that will be missing while Kadri serves his three-game suspension.

The obvious loss of scoring punch is mitigated by the rest of Toronto's potent lineup. But what it lacks is grit, aggressiveness, and a commitment to playing a two-way style. Three things that have become Kadri's trademark. -- Livingstone

Leafs are capable of taking 2 of 3 without Kadri

Even without Kadri in the lineup, the Leafs are still capable of winning two out of the next three games to even the series upon his return.

Will they be in tough to do so? Yes. Is Kadri a big loss? Certainly. But, in no way should anyone be sticking a fork in the Leafs just because they'll be without their No. 2 center for the next three games. But for this prophecy to come to fruition, other players will need to step up and a few battles will have to go Toronto's way.

First, Matthews needs to be much better. He had an even rating in Game 1, but the Bergeron line owned him. For the Leafs to be successful, Matthews and William Nylander can't be hemmed in their own end for entire shifts at a time. It's easier said than done, but they can't let Bergeron and Co. dictate the pace of the game.

The Leafs' special teams needs to step up. They went 0-for-3 on the power play and the Bruins went 3-for-6. If Boston's PK is going to give Marner tons of time and space on the power play, he needs to take advantage and shoot the puck.

Last, but not least, Toronto's top D pairing of Morgan Rielly and Ron Hainsey can't be anywhere near as bad as they were in Game 1. If they show signs of it early, Babcock needs to break them up and give rookie Travis Dermott more ice time.

A lot has to happen, but the Leafs are deep enough to go toe to toe with the Bruins without Kadri, as long as they play to their ability. -- Wegman

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz announced he's sticking with goaltender Philipp Grubauer for Game 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.

Grubauer stopped 23 of 27 shots in the Capitals' 4-3 overtime loss in Game 1, but none of the goals appeared to be directly his fault.

Nonetheless, it's still surprising that Trotz wouldn't turn to his former Vezina-Trophy winner Braden Holtby, even though he had a poor season.

Unless the Caps win Game 2, or Grubauer stands on his head in a tight loss, you can bet Holtby will be back in there for Game 3.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With Nazem Kadri's three-game suspension, the Maple Leafs will be without their No. 2 center until Game 5 (if necessary). Given Patrice Bergeron's propensity to shut down opposing top centers - even Auston Matthews - Kadri was as important as anyone to the Leafs' success this series.

Mike Babcock said these will be the Leafs' line combinations in Saturday's pregame warmup, per TSN's Mark Masters.

Having the slow-footed Leo Komarov - arguably the Leafs' worst forward - playing with Auston Matthews is not ideal, so let's take a look at some other options Babcock has at his disposal.

Marleau centering

The veteran Patrick Marleau shifting to center seems the logical choice. The 38-year-old can still fly, is responsible defensively, and with 178 career playoff games, no moment is too big for him. Here are a few possible lineup combinations that keep Komarov in his proper fourth-line role.

Option 1A:

Andreas Johnsson would add speed and quickness to a third line that needs it, and James van Riemsdyk's scoring punch could be maximized in a reunion with Mitch Marner.

Options 1B:

If Babcock is intent on a Hyman-Marleau-Marner trio, Johnsson is a much better top-line option than Komarov. He can score and also brings a lot of energy and tenacity - not unlike Hyman.

Option 1C:

Flipping Brown and Kapanen would bring some much-needed speed to the third line.

Nylander centering

William Nylander played center in Matthews' most recent absence in the regular season. And while having the young Swede down the middle would make Babcock more stressed than a college student during exam season, there's an argument to be made that his presence would make the offense more dynamic, even if there's some defensive risk involved.

Option 2A:

While the sample size isn't large, in 62 minutes together at 5-on-5 this season, Nylander and Marner generated 56.5 percent of the shot attempts, 80 percent of the goals, and 66 percent of the scoring chances. This trio could make Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy second-guess whether the Bergeron line and the Chara-McAvoy pairing should shadow Matthews.

Option 2B:

Brown's responsible play in his own end on the top line would keep Babcock at ease, but given that he's scored just one goal in his last 23 games, Johnsson could be the better fit alongside Matthews.

Option 2C:

There's almost a zero percent chance Babcock would send out a line as defensively irresponsible as JVR-Nylander-Marner, but that trio could do some damage on the scoreboard.

Conclusion

Option 1A would seemingly be the best way for the Leafs to begin Game 2, but if they wind up trailing as they did in Game 1, Option 2B could kick-start the offense.

(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With the 2018 NHL Playoffs now in full swing, hockey fans across North America are being treated to a bevy of exciting games on a nightly basis for the next couple of weeks.

However, for the first time in over 45 years, legendary play-by-play man Bob Cole won't be calling any postseason action. A fact Cole has struggled to come to terms with. "I’ve been doing playoffs every year of my life in broadcasting. This is the first time that I’m not involved," Cole said, according to Michael Traikos of Postmedia.

"It’s difficult to live with the fact that I’m not working. I surely will miss not working the playoffs. That’s the best way I can say it."

Cole has been the voice of hockey in Canada since 1972, weaving himself into the fabric of the sport for generations of fans.

However, his incredible run behind the microphone came to an unceremonious end this season. A reality that he says is tough to handle.

"The decision sure wasn’t mutual,” Cole said. “It was right out of the blue. Rogers decided to go with other (broadcast) teams and I have to live with that. But it was their decision - not mine."

" ... But I was never told that once that playoffs start, I wouldn’t be working. I’m not going to be part of it all. That’s kind of tough, but you have to live with it."

Cole's spot will be filled this postseason by a combination of broadcasters that includes Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, who are calling the Bruins-Leafs series for Sportsnet-CBC, with Paul Romanuk and Garry Galley covering the Jets-Wild series.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Don't rule out the Philadelphia Flyers just yet.

After being blown out 7-0 by the Pittsburgh Penguins in a very lopsided Game 1, the club rallied with a commanding 5-1 win of their own Friday night to knot the series up at one game apiece.

Following the win, Flyers captain Claude Giroux had a message for those who counted his team out after Game 1:

"For all you doubters out there, there you go," he said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

Head coach Dave Hakstol echoed Giroux's sentiment, suggesting the series has now changed entirely.

"I said it coming in: Nobody is really giving us a serious chance in this series. I don't know if anybody still will," Hakstol said. "But I know this, we just got it down to a five-game series and we introduced ourselves into this series tonight."

With the win, the Flyers have now snatched home-ice advantage away from the Penguins and on Sunday they will get the chance to complete the series turnaround.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild quite literally will not go down without a fight.

Near the end of Game 2 against the Winnipeg Jets, all h-e-double hockey sticks broke out, resulting in four fighting majors, four misconducts, and a handful of minor penalties.

The line brawl was highlighted by a spirited round of fisticuffs between Daniel Winnik and Brandon Tanev.

Here's a look at the misdemeanor breakdown, courtesy of the NHL:

Game 3 is set for Sunday in Minnesota with the Wild facing an 0-2 series hole.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Who knew Patrik Laine was classically trained?

The Winnipeg Jets star appeared to pull off a subtle but brilliant troll job after scoring to give his team a 4-0 lead over the Minnesota Wild in an eventual 4-1 victory in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Friday night.

Yes, Laine could have been cleaning his stick as he skated by the Wild's bench, but it certainly looked like he was miming the playing of a violin.

If there's still any doubt, he did it again when the Jets were saluting the crowd after the final buzzer.

The 19-year-old helped orchestrate the victory Friday and is a major reason why the Jets have strung together wins in the first two games of the series.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dustin Byfuglien did it again.

The imposing Winnipeg Jets defenseman demolished Minnesota Wild forward Mikko Koivu with a clean, devastating check in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Friday night.

Somehow, Koivu survived the collision.

Byfuglien, who's known for unleashing thunderous hits, also crushed Minnesota's Joel Eriksson Ek in Game 1 on Wednesday:

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.