Alex Ovechkin made the Tampa Bay Lightning pay for getting a little greedy.

The Washington Capitals captain blasted one home in the dying seconds of the first period to give his club a 2-0 lead in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Friday night.

Ovechkin's goal came on the ensuing faceoff after Nikita Kucherov's impressive tying marker was disallowed because the Lightning were caught with too many men on the ice.

It turned out to be a good call by the officials.

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A number of the Nashville Predators' core players have elected not to hang up their skates just yet.

A day after being eliminated in a blowout Game 7 by the Winnipeg Jets, seven members of the Predators signed on to play at the World Championship, the team confirmed.

Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, and Mattias Ekholm will join Sweden, Roman Josi and Kevin Fiala will play for Switzerland, Nick Bonino will represent the Americans, and Eeli Tolvanen will suit up for Finland.

Sweden and the United States currently lead their respective groupings, while Switzerland sits tied for third in Group A and Finland ranks third in Group B.

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The Washington Capitals will be without Nicklas Backstrom for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Swedish center left Game 5 of the second round against the Pittsburgh Penguins with an upper-body injury and proceeded to miss the series-clinching Game 6.

Even though the Capitals were able to beat the Penguins without Backstrom, his absence can't be understated. He had yet another 70-point regular season and was off to a strong start in the postseason, collecting 13 points in 11 games.

Lars Eller will once again be counted on for big minutes down the middle in Backstrom's absence.

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Patrick Kane and Charlie McAvoy each had a game-high two goals and five points as the Americans continued to cruise through the round robin with a 13-1 win over Korea on Friday.

Korea actually held the lead at one point, scoring the game's opening goal courtesy of a power-play tally from Jin Hui Ahn just over five minutes into the game.

However, it was all USA from that point on, as the Americans responded with four goals to close out the first period.

Derek Ryan and Cam Atkinson also chipped in with two goals apiece with the remainder of the team's goals coming from Tage Thompson, Neal Pionk, Blake Coleman, Anders Lee, and Sonny Milano.

Scott Darling had a fairly quiet afternoon in goal, turning away nine of the 10 shots thrown his way.

The Americans will enjoy a day off before their meeting with Norway. Meanwhile, Korea gets right back to it with a clash against Denmark on Saturday.

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The Humboldt Broncos will be back on the ice for the 2018-19 SJHL season, the team announced in a release Friday, per ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

The team's season was put on hold after a fatal bus crash in April killed 16 people, including the head coach, players, and staff members within the organization.

In wake of the tragedy, the hockey community offered its unending support and a GoFundMe campaign raised over $15 million in donations from across the world.

Now, the club wants to return to hockey, and the Broncos are beginning with a search for a new head coach and general manager this week. The previous holder of both titles, Darcy Haugen, was killed in the crash.

"Darcy Haugen was selfless, inspirational, and motivating, building up his players to be great ambassadors and role models both on the ice and in the community," Broncos president Kevin Garinger said. "He was the coach every player wanted, and that other coaches wanted to emulate. As a general manager, Darcy made smart decisions and was driven to ensure the Broncos organization succeeded in every aspect of its operations. He took our team to new heights - it will be incredibly difficult to find someone that can rise to his standards."

The Broncos also announced they will hold an invite-only tryout for 80 players May 27-28.

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Bet on the Bolts.

The latest odds favor the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Stanley Cup, which would mark the franchise's first championship since 2004.

Meanwhile, the top odds also favor the Lightning's conference finals matchup against the Washington Capitals to last either five or seven games:

In the Western Conference, oddsmakers anticipate the Winnipeg Jets to eliminate the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 3, earning the right to line up against the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals:

The conference finals kick off Friday when the Lightning and Capitals will face off, while the Jets and Golden Knights get underway Saturday.

(Odds courtesy: Bodog)

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Bonino, Bonino, Bonino!

Predators forward Nick Bonino will join Team USA at the World Championship following Nashville's elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Connecticut native last suited up at the World Championship in 2015, when he appeared in 10 games and notched two goals and two assists.

In 71 contests with the Predators this season, Bonino tallied 12 goals and 13 assists, before adding five points in the playoffs.

Bonino won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

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Bonino, Bonino, Bonino!

Predators forward Nick Bonino will join Team USA at the World Championship following Nashville's elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Connecticut native last suited up at the World Championship in 2015, when he appeared in 10 games and notched two goals and two assists.

In 71 contests with the Predators this season, Bonino tallied 12 goals and 13 assists, before adding five points in the playoffs.

Bonino won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

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Andre Burakovsky is ready to go.

The Washington Capitals forward will return to the lineup Friday for Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Burakovsky missed the past 10 games after undergoing minor surgery in April.

At practice Friday, Burakovsky skated on the third line alongside Chandler Stephenson and Brett Connolly.

Burakovsky notched 12 goals and 13 assists in 56 appearances this season.

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