Scheifele, normally the first-line center, was injured in the opening period of Game 1 after a collision with Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk. The Jets sniper was helped off the ice and didn't return, but he reportedly didn't suffer major damage after he was nicked by an errant skate blade.
Laine was slashed in the wrist area later in the contest. The specifics of his injury and when he may return are unclear.
The Jets lost the opener of the best-of-five series 4-1.
The NHL's bubble plan worked seamlessly in its first week.
Among the 7,013 COVID-19 tests administered from July 27-Aug. 1, there were zero positive results, the league announced Monday.
The 24 teams entered the secure zone in either Toronto or Edmonton on July 26 for the start of Phase 4. Testing has been administered daily to every person in each of the clubs' 52-member traveling parties.
Following Monday's action, every team will have played at least one game in the restart.
The play occurred in the third period when Ferland got tangled up with the Wild's bench. He was assessed a two-minute minor for slashing and Minnesota received a minor bench penalty for interference, which Hartman served.
Wild forward Luke Kunin also received a $1,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct for holding Ferland's stick.
Philadelphia Flyers forward Nate Thompson had high praise for teammate Carter Hart after the sophomore puck-stopper became the youngest in franchise history to record a postseason win.
Hart stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced in the Flyers' 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday in the first game of round-robin play.
“He doesn’t look 21 to me," Thompson said, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark. "He’s pretty poised, even off the ice. He carries himself well beyond his years.
"He reminds me a little bit of a goalie I used to play with in Montreal”
Thompson spent parts of two seasons with the Canadiens from 2018 to 2020. The 6-foot-1 grinder played in front of Carey Price, the franchise's all-time wins leader who's known for his calm and stoic demeanor.
Price was also excellent in his first start of the return, making 39 saves to help the No. 12 seed Canadiens take a 1-0 series lead over the No. 5 seed Pittsburgh Penguins.
After finishing second among netminders in Calder Trophy voting in 2018-19, Hart followed up his rookie campaign with another strong season. The Alberta native posted a 24-13-3 record with a 2.42 goals-against average and .914 save percentage over 43 appearances.
So much of what's intriguing about the unique 2020 postseason can be summed up by the Eastern Conference's No. 8 vs. No. 9 qualifying series. Below is a breakdown of three representative storylines that began to take shape during the Columbus Blue Jackets' 2-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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Defense beats offense
On one side of this series is an offensive powerhouse that ranked third in the league in goals per game this season but hasn't won a playoff round since the arrivals of its headlining stars - or, more specifically, since 2004. On the other stands a lockdown defensive team with a leading scorer who topped out at 49 points in 2019-20.
The Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets ended the regular season with identical .579 points percentages but are otherwise polar opposites, which explains why their encounter in the Eastern Conference qualifiers is so appealing. Coming out of short training camps and straight into meaningful games, this matchup doubles as a case study for a larger question: Which style is more conducive to immediate success in the bubble? Running, gunning, and seeking to score at will, or staying structured and composed for 60 minutes?
Chase Agnello-Dean / NHL / Getty Images
Count Game 1 - a quintessential Columbus win - as a point for the latter approach. Employing their signature high forecheck, the Blue Jackets stymied their opponents' breakouts at the source or otherwise choked them in the neutral zone. They mostly kept the Maple Leafs a safe distance from Joonas Korpisalo, whose 28-save shutout made for an admirable NHL playoff debut. Columbus was consistently first to the puck in the offensive end, winning corner battles and using timely pinches to stop counterattacks before they materialized. Scoring a minute into the third period, Cam Atkinson empowered the Blue Jackets to burn the remaining time without allowing any scoring chances of consequence.
A team unlocking and playing to its strengths has a major edge in a short series. The advantage is all the more apparent in matchups that feature clashing styles. Consider Game 1 of the New York Islanders' series against the Florida Panthers, in which defensively adept New York limited Florida's attack to a single Jonathan Huberdeau goal for a 2-1 win. The Blue Jackets' effort was similar. They were stingy, they didn't give Toronto's stars an inch all night, and they only needed to score once.
Blueprints to go deep
Ahead of any other year's 16-team playoff tournament, the Leafs and Jackets would have spent the final month of the season fighting tooth and nail for the final berths in the East. Their respective faults kept them from faring any better in 2019-20. Toronto was prone to breaking down in front of Frederik Andersen and to coming out flat on too many nights. Columbus scored one goal or was blanked in 19 of 70 games, typifying the squad's struggle to put the puck in the net.
Still, both clubs have the potential to make a run in the bubble, the Leafs thanks to their offensive weaponry - this shutout notwithstanding - and the Jackets thanks to the defensive fortitude that keyed their stunning sweep of Tampa Bay in 2018-19. One line of thought holds that the better teams that emerge from the qualifiers will have a leg up on their favored opponents who weren't seriously challenged in the round robin. They had to scrap for postseason survival from the jump and could theoretically generate momentum from there.
Andre Ringuette / Getty Images
The Jackets started that journey auspiciously by following their blueprint to a tee in Game 1. Their first line - Pierre-Luc Dubois between Alexandre Texier and Oliver Bjorkstrand - produced four high-danger scoring chances and 58.62% of shot attempts when they played together at 5-on-5. Dubois was especially noticeable: he drew a penalty and created several chances with his footwork, strength on the puck, and incisive passing. As usual, Zach Werenski and Seth Jones were horses on defense, logging more than 25 minutes apiece and limiting the damage Auston Matthews' line caused.
The Leafs weren't bad, but one goose egg is plenty in a best-of-five series. Considering the dearth of open space Toronto puck carriers had to operate and shoot, it would help to earn more power plays than the one they failed to convert. So would kindling havoc, or even a single rebound opportunity, in front of Korpisalo on those shots that do squeeze through.
The Leafs have to score to expose the limitations of the Jackets' offense. That Atkinson was the player to capitalize on an opening and beat Andersen blocker-side - on what could have been a nothing play - ultimately made all the difference.
Lafreniere lottery looms large
For at least a day following the qualifying round, the eight squads that were bounced posthaste are bound to find comfort in a silver lining. That would be the equal 12.5% chance they'll have to win the draft lottery a week from Monday, which would confer them the privilege of leapfrogging Detroit, Ottawa, and the rest of the league's dregs to bring aboard consensus top prospect Alexis Lafreniere.
Mathieu Belanger / Getty Images
No player or coach would say this publicly, but for some teams perceived to have no hope to go deep this year, it might seem preferable to lose immediately and bank on those 1-in-8 odds delivering. Toronto and Columbus don't fit that bill, but it's indisputable that in either franchise's case, Lafreniere would constitute a heck of a consolation prize.
Picture the Jackets blowing this one-game lead, subsequently getting lucky, and adding the sort of thrilling offensive talent they've sorely lacked since Artemi Panarin left to sign with the Rangers last summer. If Dubois is an elite two-way center in the making, imagine how much more clinical his line could look with Lafreniere fashioning oodles of scoring chances from the left wing.
Depending on your allegiance, what a dreamworthy and nightmarish scenario it would be in equal turn if Lafreniere joined Toronto's embarrassment of riches up front. Right now, the Leafs are cap-strapped with Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander signed long-term for big money. Integrating Lafreniere on a three-year entry-level deal would change that calculus, affording GM Kyle Dubas the option to try to flip, say, Nylander for a comparatively good defenseman without sacrificing any scoring punch.
To be sure, Toronto's season is by no means almost over, and it's 87.5% likely that whichever club winds up falling short here won't win the lottery. But the slim flipside possibility is significant for what it signals to teams in similar situations, those that Lafreniere could elevate immediately into contention. Think of him teaming with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton, or of him injecting life into the Predators' or Islanders' pedestrian forward corps. Only in 2020 are these outcomes conceivable.
Likewise, you don't have to strain to envision the transformative impact Lafreniere could have on Columbus or Toronto's fate - one bonus reason this series is so enticing. On to Game 2 on Tuesday afternoon.
The NHL's bubbled postseason continued Sunday in Toronto and Edmonton. Here are three takeaways from the Arizona Coyotes' 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators; the Philadelphia Flyers' 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins; and the Colorado Avalanche's 2-1 defeat of the St. Louis Blues.
(Note: This post will be updated with commentary about the Vancouver Canucks-Minnesota Wild matchup, while the Toronto Maple Leafs-Columbus Blue Jackets gamewill be covered in a separate post.)
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Kadri flips the script
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images
Somehow, someway, Nazem Kadri and the Avalanche defeated the Blues in regulation Sunday night.
Kadri - who's been on the wrong end of some notable playoff moments in recent years (see: multiple suspensions) - whacked the puck into a yawning cage with 0.1 seconds remaining in the third period, his internal clock telling him to hurry as he launched into the crease.
"Not quite down to the decimal point," he said. "But I knew there wasn't much time left."
The positive outcome represents a flipping of the script for a fiery competitor known more for his playoff shenanigans than glorious moments thanks to his roller-coaster tenure in Toronto, and the miraculous tally counts as the craziest sequence of the first two days of hockey in this 24-team restart.
Saturday's madness set a high bar, too: the early-game fisticuffs in Carolina Hurricanes-New York Rangers, the jaw-dropping upset in Chicago Blackhawks-Edmonton Oilers, and the nonstop overtime action of Pittsburgh Penguins-Montreal Canadiens.
Kadri's tally also holds great practical value for the Avs, with Colorado now 1-0 to St. Louis' 0-1 as the Western Conference's four best squads duke it out for seeding in the round of 16.
Regular-season points percentage is the tiebreaker, so the Blues have the upper hand over the Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars. Yet, heading into Monday's slate of games, which includes Dallas versus Vegas, it's the Avs who are in an enviable position. They were unbelievably close to needing overtime, but the West's top seed is now theirs to lose.
Will we look back on this goal in a couple of weeks and wonder what could have been for the Blues if they draw a tricky first-round opponent and are forced to empty the tank while the Avs cruise to a sweep? When line-matching becomes more prevalent later in the postseason, how crucial will intraconference home-ice advantage prove to be?
Those questions are completely hypothetical at this point, but there's no denying these round-robin games count for something, despite the distinct difference in intensity compared to the contests in the eight elimination series.
Kadri called Sunday's showdown "as close to a real playoff game as you can get" under these circumstances. It wasn't as hotly contested as some of the other games we've seen so far, but both teams were trying to get back into the routine of competition. They accomplished just that, and neither will forget the outcome.
"At 0.1, it's on the line and at 0.0 it's in the net," Blues forward David Perron said. "I'm sure it's as close a goal as you'll ever see."
"Luckily, it worked out," Kadri said.
A different kind of victory
The Bruins both won and lost on Sunday.
The loss is obvious. That occurred on the ice against the Flyers. It's safe to say the Presidents' Trophy-winning Bruins - who have the least to gain in the three-game round robin in the Eastern Conference due to the reseeding format - won't revisit this lackluster showing in an effort to boost team morale. In the words of Boston coach Bruce Cassidy, the typically hyper-focused group was still stuck "a little bit in summer hockey mode."
More specifically, Bruins skaters - from the top line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand to the club's depth players - weren't making smart decisions with the puck. Similar to the cuteness the Pittsburgh Penguins displayed early in their postseason debut Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, Boston sacrificed prime shooting opportunities for extra passes or dekes versus Philadelphia.
"I'm thinking we need to make a better play with the friggin' puck," Cassidy said on a postgame Zoom call, emphasizing how mental rust plagued the team. It'll be fascinating to watch how Boston responds Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sunday's uninspired effort was the Bruins' mulligan.
As for the win, well, just look at this shirt on forward Par Lindholm:
Chase Agnello-Dean / Getty Images
Bruins players donned one of two anti-racism tees during their pregame walk inside the rink - the one above, which says "End Racism," and another that says "Listen. Learn. Change." Players and coaches linked arms during the national anthems in a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
"Matt Dumba's comments yesterday, I thought, were very strong and heartfelt," Cassidy said. "We're trying to get behind eradicating racism. Listening, learning, educating, changing the social injustices. I believe that's what the players were representing and will continue to represent. That was the impetus behind the dress code today."
In Edmonton's Rogers Place, the Predators wore matching black shirts, too.
"The message we want to send is equality throughout," Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said of the T-shirts, which simply read "Black Lives Matter."
"Equality for everyone is important for today's society," he added. "We're looking to be a positive change in that sense."
Game 1 not kind to No. 95
Dave Sandford / Getty Images
It was a tough day at the office for Matt Duchene.
Eight minutes into the first period, a Coyotes point shot deflected off Duchene's shoulder and past goalie Jusse Saros to open the scoring. It was a classic case of bad luck, as Duchene was standing near the bottom of the left faceoff circle minding his own business when Oliver Ekman-Larsson's one-timer ricocheted off Kyle Turris and found the star's upper body.
Six-and-a-half minutes later, Duchene took a holding penalty just after being knocked to the ice by a body check. The Coyotes scored on the ensuing power play.
Frankly, Duchene hasn't played up to his seven-year, $56-million contract throughout this campaign. He contributed 42 points in 66 regular-season contests, or 0.64 points per game. In his previous 10 years in the NHL, Duchene produced below 0.65 points per game only twice. Points aren't everything - Duchene typically posts strong puck possession numbers, which is helpful - but the Predators surely expect more out of him.
On Sunday, Duchene finished with a team-low expected goals share (42%) during even-strength action, according to Natural Stat Trick. This sub-50% share suggests the Coyotes outplayed the Predators when Duchene was between the boards. (In terms of strictly shot attempts, Duchene broke even, with Nashville both generating and conceding 14 attempts.)
The 29-year-old also lost five of seven faceoffs. He was out for two goals against and two goals for in around 16:30 of ice time. One positive: Duchene picked up a secondary assist on the Predators' third tally.
Full marks to Arizona for the win; it was well-earned. However, Nashville needs better individual performances in Game 2, and that starts with Duchene, who lit up the 2019 postseason as a member of the Jackets. He had 10 points in 10 games, including seven in a stunning sweep of the Lightning. Recapturing that magic could go a long way.
Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo stopped all 28 shots he faced in the victory, while Maple Leafs netminder Frederik Andersen turned aside 33 of the 34 shots Columbus fired his way.
Atkinson was involved in both Blue Jackets goals, registering a secondary assist on Wennberg's tally after the Maple Leafs pulled Andersen for the extra attacker.
Columbus outshot Toronto 27-17 over the final 40 minutes.
