When everybody was ready to write off the Toronto Maple Leafs, the players had a different idea on Friday in Game 4 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Maple Leafs were 22 seconds away from an opening-round postseason exit for the fourth straight year when Zach Hyman's equalizer sent the game to overtime.

Hyman's tally was Toronto's third goal in 3:34 after the Leafs trailed 3-0 with under four minutes remaining. Auston Matthews then delivered the overtime dagger, and a winner-take-all Game 5 will now take place on Sunday night.

"I've never been a part of anything like that," said forward Jason Spezza, a veteran of 1,123 regular-season games and 84 postseason contests, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle.

The Leafs' comeback over the Blue Jackets came just one night after they blew a 3-0 lead themselves. Toronto is now the first club in NHL history to overcome a deficit of three-plus goals after surrendering a lead of three-plus goals to lose the previous contest, according to NHL Public Relations.

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Roberto Luongo had a unique provision in his contract during his time with the Vancouver Canucks that aimed to provide ample rest - at least a former teammate claims he did.

"Luongo had a clause in his contract where he didn’t have to play back-to-back games on the road if he didn’t want," longtime Canuck and current Sportsnet analyst Kevin Bieksa said on Friday's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, according to The Athletic's Harman Dayal.

But this is news to Luongo himself:

Goalies rarely play on back-to-back nights on the road as it is, but Luongo apparently wanted no part of it.

The now-retired netminder remained effective into his late-30s, so the guaranteed rest may have played a part.

Luongo signed a 12-year, $64-million contract with the Canucks in 2009. He finished his career with a .919 save percentage and ranks third on the NHL's all-time wins list with 489.

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat was assessed a five-minute major for boarding Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ethan Bear on Friday night.

Bear, one of Edmonton's top blue-liners, was forced to leave the game temporarily, but he eventually returned.

The Oilers' power play, which was the league's best during the regular season, was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

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A pair of trades - including conditional draft picks contingent on postseason outcomes - have officially been sorted, with the Arizona Coyotes and New York Islanders each advancing to the round of 16 on Friday.

The Ottawa Senators now own the Islanders' first-round pick in 2020 as part of the swap that sent forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau to New York at the trade deadline. If the Islanders had instead been eliminated and won the draft lottery, the pick, which was top-three protected, would have been Ottawa's in 2021.

Ottawa now owns three first-round selections at the 2020 draft and an additional four picks in round two.

The New Jersey Devils now own the Arizona Coyotes' first-round pick as a result of the Taylor Hall trade. The conditions on that pick were identical to those in the Pageau deal.

The Devils could add an additional first-rounder in 2020 if the Vancouver Canucks eliminate the Minnesota Wild in their play-in series. New Jersey received the pick when it traded forward Blake Coleman in February to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who owned the Canucks' pick from a previous trade.

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The Seattle Kraken named Everett Fitzhugh as their team broadcaster Friday. He's now set to become the league's first Black full-time team play-by-play announcer when the Kraken begin play in the 2021-22 season.

"As someone who's worked in hockey for more than a decade, to be named a part of the broadcast and content for a brand-new NHL franchise - particularly one with an organization as strong as the Kraken - is a dream come true," Fitzhugh said. "Getting to the NHL has always been my goal. I look forward to representing the Kraken organization throughout the greater Seattle community."

Fitzhugh spent the last five seasons as the radio play-by-play announcer for the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones. He also served as the Cyclones' director of media relations and broadcasting, as well as the team's official spokesperson.

"Everett has established himself as a unique and leading voice for hockey," Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said. "He's going to bring tremendous energy and talent to our broadcast and content team, and we can't wait for our fans to get to know him."

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The Columbus Blue Jackets will give goaltender Elvis Merzlikins his first start of the series against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, according to team reporter Jeff Svoboda.

Merzlikins entered Game 3 of the series midway through the second period on Thursday with his team facing a 3-0 deficit. The rookie netminder dazzled, stopping all 21 shots while steering the Blue Jackets to an impressive comeback victory.

Joonas Korpisalo got the nod for the first three games of the series, and played extremely well for the most part. He stopped 76 of 81 shots through two and a half games, including one shutout. Overall, he put together a 2.05 goals-against average and .938 save percentage.

During the 2019-20 season, Merzlikins managed a 13-9-8 record with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. After starting the season with eight straight losses, the Latvian goalie caught fire later on. He put together a dominant stretch of play in the new year that included eight straight victories in which he collected five shutouts.

Columbus will take on the Maple Leafs in Game 4 of their qualifying series on Friday at 8 p.m ET. Columbus leads the best-of-five series 2-1.

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Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper provided an update Friday on injured star Steven Stamkos, indicating his return isn't imminent but emphasizing the situation could change.

"Injuries are unpredictable, and if there's somebody that's working harder than him, I have not seen it in trying to get back," Cooper said, according to team reporter Bryan Burns. "He's rehabbing. Our staff has been working with him on a daily basis, and in situations like this, you never know."

Cooper confirmed that Stamkos will not play in Tampa Bay's third and final round-robin game Saturday and added that the forward remains out indefinitely.

The 30-year-old suffered a lower-body injury during Phase 2 of the league's return-to-play plan. He's managed to join some practices and skate on his own since.

Stamkos recorded 29 goals and 37 assists in 59 games during the 2019-20 season.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will switch starting goaltenders for their do-or-die Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry will suit up after teammate Matt Murray started the first three games of the series, the team announced.

Murray has played adequately, but was only able to lead the Penguins to one win. He stopped 85 of 93 shots he faced overall, and put together a 2.50 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.

Jarry, who appeared in 33 games during the 2019-20 season, put together a great year and was named to the All-Star Game. He went 20-12-1 and had a 2.43 goals-against average with a .921 save percentage.

The Penguins' backs are against the wall, with Game 4 of the series kicking off at 4 p.m.

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