Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher suffered a broken jaw, which requires surgery, and will miss the remainder of the club's opening-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, general manager Marc Bergevin confirmed Thursday, per TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Gallagher sustained the injury after being cross-checked by Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen during Game 5 on Wednesday. The 6-foot-1 rearguard was not penalized on the play but is scheduled for a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Thursday.
Gallagher, who scored his first goal of the postseason in the Canadiens' 5-3 victory, remained in the game despite being bloodied by the hit.
The gritty winger has mustered four points through nine playoff contests while averaging 16:56 of ice time per game.
The Canadiens will look to stave off elimination once again in Game 6 on Friday.
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford raised some eyebrows when he signed defenseman Jack Johnson to a five-year contract carrying a $3.25-million cap hit on July 1, 2018. To this day, Rutherford remains adamant it's a good deal for the team.
"His contract is not a problem for us," Rutherford The Athletic's Josh Yohe on Thursday. "His contract isn't going to impact anything that we do in terms of the cap."
Rutherford believes Johnson's critics are too harsh.
"Here's my summary of this situation," the GM said. "Maybe Jack Johnson isn't as good as I think he is. Maybe. But he's not as bad as all of the anti-Jack Johnson people think he is. I'll tell you what he is: He's a solid, third-pairing defenseman if he's playing with the right guy. He's a player that I happen to really like and I think he's a better player than a lot of people want to give him credit for."
Johnson finished fifth among Penguins defensemen in average time on ice during the season, but he played most of his five-on-five minutes with Pittsburgh's top defenseman, Kris Letang.
Here's a look at his isolated offensive impact at five-on-five (red - more shots - is better) from HockeyViz:
hockeyviz.com
Johnson is not known for his offensive abilities, however. He's supposed to be strong in his own end, but his isolated defensive impact at five-on-five doesn't do him any favors, either (blue - fewer shots - is better):
hockeyviz.com
Johnson had a poor showing in the postseason, where he was paired predominately with Justin Schultz. In Pittsburgh's four-game series loss to the Montreal Canadiens, he was on the ice for one goal for and five against, as well as 16 scoring chances for and 21 against, according to Natural Stat Trick.
"I think Jack was pretty good this season," Rutherford said. "He changed up his training regimen before the season started and you could see the difference. He gained half a step. He's one of those guys, he plays a very heavy game. He's very hard to play against down low because he's so big and strong. He's also a very good penalty killer."
Rutherford drafted Johnson third overall in 2005 as GM of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Some NHLers are masters of hockey's nuances. Ryan O'Reilly, for example, is the type of player who is heaped with praise after a strong performance; the cerebral St. Louis Blues center rarely wows you in the moment. Instead, his body of work is the masterpiece.
Nathan MacKinnon, meanwhile, is a force of nature who elicits visceral reactions in real time.
"With Nate, you notice him every shift," Jon Greenwood, MacKinnon's minor hockey coach, said Wednesday night. "He constantly grabs your attention."
Andy Devlin / Getty Images
MacKinnon played under Greenwood on the Cole Harbour Wings in Peewee AAA and Bantam AAA. The pair also crossed paths at the Maritime Hockey Academy in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, where Greenwood taught hockey skills during phys ed, as well as math and social studies. Greenwood, now an assistant coach for the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads, also leads offseason workouts for MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, and other local pros.
So yes, Greenwood has been watching closely as MacKinnon has destroyed the competition in the early weeks of the restart. The Hart Trophy nominee hasn't missed a beat following a 93-point regular season, recording a league-high 13 points in eight playoff games, including six in his last two contests.
"We had no answer for him all series," Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters Wednesday after MacKinnon and the Avs eliminated his team from the Edmonton bubble via a 7-1 romp in Game 5 of a best-of-seven series.
Why is this cheat code on skates doing so well? With a primary assist from Greenwood, here's a breakdown of some of MacKinnon's finest moments.
Playmaking
When MacKinnon was on the ice at five-on-five against Arizona, the Avs outscored the Coyotes 6-1 and, according to Natural Stat Trick, owned 69% of the shot attempts (90-39) and 72% of the scoring chances (43-17). The clip above, from the third period of Game 1, is a prime example of the 24-year-old's ability to dictate play with longtime linemates Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.
MacKinnon transports the puck from zone to zone, gradually moving toward the middle of the ice, which creates confusion among the defenders. Then, a few feet inside Arizona's zone, MacKinnon taps the puck to Landeskog.
"If Nate drives all the way to outside the dots, all he has is a drop pass for Landeskog. But the fact that he attacks the middle opens a lot up," Greenwood said. "It makes the D really squeeze close together and gives him an option to kick the puck out and make himself available again."
MacKinnon slows down, almost to a full stop, on his way to the corner. It's a subtle yet effective quick screen on Jakob Chychrun, the right-side defender.
YouTube
"It's almost like he fakes he's going to drive through and taps the stick a little bit, but then he opens up right away," Greenwood said. "I think he slows the D down from closing on Landeskog quickly by getting in the defenseman's ice a little bit."
From there, it's bingo-bango-bongo for the Avs' top trio. Landeskog in the high slot, to MacKinnon in the corner, to Rantanen in the crease area. Goal.
"Nate knows the option before he gets it in the corner there," Greenwood said. "Not that he's in a great position to shoot the puck, but some guys might just blast it from there or throw it at the goalie's pads. The fact that he has the wherewithal to make the pass across for a tap-in is pretty good hockey IQ."
MacKinnon has nine assists in the restart, four of which have come at five-on-five. All four of those helpers have been passes leading directly to a goal. He and Nazem Kadri (11 points) have been Colorado's offensive catalysts so far.
Goal-scoring
No exaggeration here: MacKinnon is one of the greatest skaters in NHL history. Finding a highlight that showcases his wheels wasn't particularly difficult. This clip, from the first period of Game 2, is particularly instructive because MacKinnon is essentially a one-man show.
"At the very start of this clip, he's killing their rush," Greenwood said. "Arizona has a breakout and Nate's speed closing on the guy on the wall makes him panic and throw a shitty backhand play to the middle of the ice. That created the turnover."
"His transition, his skating here, is something," he added with excitement. "His toes are facing his net, and then as soon as he smells the turnover, his toes get to facing the opposition net in a hurry. And then he's gone!"
Nobody is catching MacKinnon as he accelerates through the Coyotes' end. He gets from Point A (entering the zone with possession of the puck) to Point B (firing a shot from the faceoff dot) in two seconds.
"Powerful strides and crossovers - each stride or each crossover takes up 10 or 12 feet of ice at times, it seems," Greenwood said. "That's one thing he always had from a young age: power. He always had that elite balance on his edges, which has allowed him to generate that power."
At the dot, it's only MacKinnon and Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper, and the puck is in the back of the net in the blink of an eye. MacKinnon's shot is undoubtedly hard. However, his release is what's overwhelmingly dangerous.
"Some guys have more of a sweeping shot where they have to pull it behind them," Greenwood noted. "But he's getting that thing off in front of his toe, and it's all in the snapping of his wrist. It's amazing to see the velocity from that technique. And it's powerful as hell and really accurate."
YouTube
MacKinnon's body positioning at the time of the release is noteworthy, too. Notice how he's shooting off his inside foot? Not easy.
"Oftentimes a righty will finish on their left foot because that's the way their balance works," Greenwood said. "I shoot left and I picture myself, where every time I shoot, I finish on my right foot because you pull the puck across your body as you shoot it and finish on that foot. But Nate, a righty, is only on his right foot there as he whips that puck."
None of this is breaking news to Greenwood, of course - though even those closest to MacKinnon are blown away by the Cole Harbour native's development.
"Nate's almost 25, but he's still getting better. He hasn't peaked, at least I don't think he has," Greenwood said. "His trajectory is still on the way up, I think, which is scary. But the overall package - the speed, the shot, and the hands - are on another level right now."
Physicality
MacKinnon earned a Lady Byng finalist spot this year for his "gentlemanly conduct" on the ice, accruing only 12 penalty minutes in 69 regular-season games. Well, through eight postseason contests, he's already up to 10 minutes - minors for unsportsmanlike conduct and interference in the round robin, and minors for interference, hooking, and roughing against the Coyotes.
Let's be clear: There's no way to put a wholly positive spin on taking a penalty. That being said, MacKinnon's manhandling of 6-foot-2, 214-pound Arizona forward Christian Fischer in Game 4 (shown in the clip above) definitely didn't hurt the superstar's reputation among his NHL peers.
"Nate's gliding off like he wants a change, and then when the hit (on Avs defenseman Cale Makar) happens, he's in there pretty quickly. I like that," Greenwood said. "He's in there grabbing a guy who had hit Landeskog from behind a little bit after the Makar hit. He's in there sticking up for teammates."
As the scrum escalates, MacKinnon has a golden opportunity to land a haymaker on Fischer as revenge for a cross-check to the chin that Fischer delivered seconds earlier. MacKinnon opts for the takedown.
"I haven't talked to Nate, but I'd like to know what went through his head, because oftentimes when you're in that situation you snap or black out. You want to pounce on somebody," Greenwood said. "It almost looks like he cocks his fist at one point, thinks twice about it, and decides to throw the guy down."
This sequence of events followed a devastating Game 3 collision in which MacKinnon exploded through the chest of Coyotes blue-liner Jordan Oesterle. Anybody who regularly tracks MacKinnon's on-ice exploits is well aware of his large frame (6 feet, 200 pounds) and immense core and leg strength. That Oesterle hit highlights his mean streak and athleticism.
"One of the freak athletic traits he has is that spring in his legs, that jumping power. His vertical jump has always been off the charts," Greenwood said before recalling a vintage hit from MacKinnon's first year in junior. He's 16 at the time and approaching a loose puck at the red line when he meets a 20-year-old opponent. The older kid is launched backward.
"He completely cartwheels the guy," Greenwood said, laughing at the replay.
"When I coached him at 12 and 13, the early years of bodychecking, it was certainly not uncommon for opposing players to get frustrated and take a run at Nate. He's been dealing with this for a long time."
Comparing players from different NHL eras is tricky business. The game and its players have changed so much, even over the past 20 years. But, as someone who's often asked about MacKinnon and what makes him special, Greenwood has landed on a hybrid comparable.
"If you took a little bit of Eric Lindros and shrunk him down and took a little bit of Pavel Bure and made him larger - sort of meet in the middle of these two guys - it's Nate," Greenwood said. "He has the speed and quickness of Bure but more size than Bure. And he's got a lot of power like Lindros but he isn't as big as Lindros. It's this blend or morph of two guys from the '90s. I know that's a strange comparison, but it feels like the only thing I can say at times."
Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask opted out of the NHL's postseason last week in order to deal with a "family emergency," team president Cam Neely told reporters Thursday, including NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin.
Rask cited the importance of family when he opted out, but he did not reveal any further details.
The veteran netminder received the support of his teammates, including forward Chris Wagner, who said "family comes before everything."
The Bruins have been left in good hands between the pipes since Rask left the bubble. Backup Jaroslav Halak won all three games since taking over with a .932 save percentage, helping Boston eliminate the Carolina Hurricanes.
Even though the collision leftGallagher bloodied, the referees did not call a penalty on the ice. His status for Game 6 is uncertain as he's set to undergo a CT scan on his jaw, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault doesn't believe Niskanen is at fault.
"Let's see what happens this afternoon. But in my estimation, Gallagher got up and seemed fine, he was talking to the referees. The whole time he was on the bench, he was talking to our players. ... I don't think it's Nisky's fault that he's taller than a bunch of guys," he said, per Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
On top of the Niskanen play, there was plenty of animosity between the teams in Game 5. Montreal forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi received a five-minute major and an ejection for boarding Philadelphia defenseman Travis Sanheim. Then in the dying seconds of the contest, Sean Couturier caught Artturi Lehkonen with a blindside hit after the Habs potted the empty-netter that sealed their victory.
With plenty of drama in tow, a do-or-die Game 6 is scheduled for Friday evening, with the Flyers holding a 3-2 series lead.
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Admittedly, we're mired in a bit of a slump right now with three losing nights in a row.
The playoffs have been fairly profitable, though, and there's still a long way to go. We'll get hot soon enough, and there's no better time to start than Thursday night.
New York Islanders (-105) @ Washington Capitals (-115)
The Islanders just need to stay out of the box and they will close out this series. Leading 2-0 early in the second period of Game 4 - and in complete control - they shot themselves in the foot with two penalties. The Capitals sent their big guns out on a five-on-three, generated some momentum, potted a couple of goals, and Bob's your uncle.
Four of Washington's eight goals in this series have come on the power play, with only three at five-on-five. That's a testament to this Islanders team, which is so defensively disciplined under Barry Trotz. Only the Colorado Avalanche have allowed fewer expected goals against in these playoffs.
It's just a bad matchup for the Capitals, who struggle to generate offense at five-on-five and rely heavily on special teams. The Islanders will end this series in Game 5 if they don't get themselves into trouble. There's excellent value here as they're slight 'dogs despite being unquestionably the better team throughout this series.
Pick: Islanders (-105)
Dallas Stars (-125) @ Calgary Flames (+105)
I've been vocal about my love for the Stars in this series, and I'm feeling pretty good through five games.
The Stars have been the better team - controlling a much larger percentage of the expected goals, generating more quality scoring chances, and impressively limiting the Flames' offense at five-on-five - in each of the last four contests since a sluggish Game 1.
But the Flames are still hanging around, and despite all the chances that Dallas is creating, it's being made to work hard for every goal. I still fully expect the Stars to close out this series in Game 7, but this pesky Flames team will ensure it gets there leaning into Cam Talbot and its white-hot power play to steal Game 6.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
