The Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders are set to lock horns Friday night with a berth in the Stanley Cup Final on the line.

As they say, anything can happen in a Game 7, but here are five key subplots as this highly entertaining series reaches its apex.

Nikita Kucherov's status

The Lightning were dealt a major blow early in Game 6 as Kucherov was forced to leave with an injury after only 46 seconds of ice time. The dynamic Tampa Bay winger has been the club's offensive catalyst throughout the postseason, leading all players with a whopping 27 points across 17 games. Given the circumstances, Kucherov could try to play through whatever is ailing him, but his health is the ultimate X-factor for this contest.

On the bright side for Tampa fans, the Lightning won 36 games without Kucherov this season. If he's unable to suit up, what's one more?

Will we see the Coliseum again?

Islanders faithful nearly blew the roof off Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum after Anthony Beauvillier's electric overtime winner in Game 6. If fans hurling beer cans onto the ice in celebration is the final memory of one of the league's most beloved barns, it's a hell of a way to go out, but it would pale in comparison to the raucousness of a Stanley Cup Final on Long Island.

New York hasn't been to the final since 1984, when its four-year run of glory was snapped by Wayne Gretzky and Co. The Islanders' crowd would be sure to bring the noise - even more than usual - if the home team gets to play for a title in its last season before heading to the brand-new UBS Arena.

Bolts' repeat bid in jeopardy

The Lightning have authored a dominant postseason story since their run to the Cup began in the bubble last summer. This Game 7 marks the first time Tampa Bay has faced elimination since Game 4 versus the Columbus Blue Jackets in Round 1 of the 2019 playoffs - and that could be an ominous sign, as the defending champs haven't won while facing elimination since the 2015 Eastern Conference Final. Over that span, the Lightning have blown two 3-2 series leads in the third round, most recently in 2018 against the Washington Capitals, an outfit coached by ... Islanders bench boss Barry Trotz.

On a more positive note, however, Tampa Bay is 13-0 following a loss since the start of last year's playoffs.

Barzal's redemption song

Mathew Barzal's situation seemed grim at best after the Islanders' disastrous 8-0 loss in Game 5. New York's best player potentially faced suspension after cross-checking Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta in the face. Barzal was tossed from the game and slapped with a $5,000 fine, which turned out to be a huge break for the Islanders. He was a force in Game 6, registering two assists while controlling 73.91% of shot attempts, 75% of scoring chances, and 69.81% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

It was a massive statement from Barzal, who drew the public ire of his coach after getting ejected in Game 5. The forward had been quiet in the series until Wednesday night, only recording two points. Will his momentum carry over?

Point's remarkable goal streak

Brayden Point is smoldering hot right now, with a goal in nine consecutive contests. If he buries one in Game 7, he'll match Reggie Leach's all-time playoff record, and there's plenty of reason to believe he can do it. Since the start of the 2020 postseason, Point's recorded 28 goals in 40 games, and his career 0.58 playoff goals per game ranks sixth in NHL history among all players who appeared in at least 60 contests, according to Sportsnet Stats.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more clutch playoff performer than Point in the NHL.

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Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is shouldering the responsibility for his team's disappointing series loss against the Montreal Canadiens.

"I got skunked this series. That can't happen," Stone said following the 3-2 overtime defeat in Game 6, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger. "I'm the captain of this team. I'm the leader of this team. I take a lot of responsibility for what occurred."

Stone, who led Vegas with 61 points during the regular season, failed to register a point in the series. He only recorded seven shots in the six contests.

There was plenty of speculation that Stone's lackluster play was due to a lingering injury, but he told reporters that was not the case.

Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer insisted fingers shouldn't be pointed squarely at Stone.

"I'm not surprised he's taking that on himself, but that's not a load he needs to carry and definitely not alone," DeBoer said, according to Justin Emerson of the Las Vegas Sun.

Stone was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators in February 2019 and shortly after signed an eight-year, $76-million extension to stay in Sin City. He became the first captain in Golden Knights history prior to this season.

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The Vegas Golden Knights turned to Robin Lehner between the pipes with their season on the line in Thursday's Game 6 against the Montreal Canadiens.

Lehner started Game 4 of Vegas' semifinal series against Montreal and was spectacular in the winning effort, stopping 27 of 28 shots. It was just his second start of the playoffs and first outing since May 30.

But Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer opted to go back to Marc-Andre Fleury for Game 5. Fleury allowed three goals on 25 shots in a 4-1 loss as the Canadiens took a 3-2 series lead.

Lehner posted a .913 save percentage and 2.29 goals-against average in 19 regular-season games this season. The 29-year-old owns a .920 save percentage and 2.21 goals-against average in 28 career playoff appearances.

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ESPN has signed Hall of Famer Mark Messier to a multi-year deal as an NHL studio analyst, the company announced Thursday.

His contract begins in 2021-22.

Messier is regarded as one of the best players of all time. During his 25-year playing career, which ended in 2003-04, he won six Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies, and a Conn Smythe Award. He sits third on both the all-time games played list and all-time points list.

The 60-year-old spent 12 years with the Edmonton Oilers, where he won five of his rings. He also played 10 campaigns with the New York Rangers, bringing the Stanley Cup to the Big Apple for the first time in 54 years in 1994. Additionally, Messier had a three-year stint with the Vancouver Canucks.

ESPN signed a seven-year deal for half of the NHL's U.S. TV rights package, beginning in 2021-22. The company has already brought in Kevin Weekes, Ryan Callahan, Ray Ferraro, Brian Boucher, and AJ Mleczko Griswold as analysts. New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban is also doing analysis for ESPN for the remainder of the 2021 postseason.

The network reportedly targeted Wayne Gretzky for an analyst role before The Great One took his talents to TNT, which bought the other half of the NHL's U.S. TV rights package.

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The Seattle Kraken announced Dave Hakstol as their first head coach in franchise history Thursday.

Hakstol had been an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs since 2019, and he previously served as the Philadelphia Flyers' head coach. Before breaking into the NHL in 2015, Hakstol coached the University of North Dakota.

"Tracking back to (his) University of North Dakota days, Dave is a coach who cares about his players," general manager Ron Francis said. "At times, a coach's messages can get diluted. Players want to understand what the coach wants them to do. Dave communicates clearly and concisely. Players like that."

Francis and Hakstol worked together for Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Championship.

Hakstol had a 134-101-42 record as the Flyers' coach across three-plus seasons. He was mainly in charge of running the Maple Leafs' defense during his time with Toronto.

The 52-year-old will be able to build his own coaching staff with the Kraken.

Seattle will begin its inaugural season during the 2021-22 campaign. The expansion draft is scheduled for July 21.

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The Montreal Canadiens played arguably their best game of the postseason Tuesday - and their victory brought them one win from the Stanley Cup Final. Game 6 of the Canadiens' semifinal series against the Vegas Golden Knights goes Thursday night at the Bell Centre. Here are four key storylines to watch:

Mark Stone's response

Stone is one of those rare players coaches almost never have to worry about.

The 29-year-old winger positively impacts the run of play in all three zones. He's emotionally and physically engaged in the game. And, perhaps most importantly, he's ultra-consistent. For these reasons, Stone is the Golden Knights' captain and an annual Selke Trophy contender.

Yet this semifinal series has been taxing on Stone - Game 5, especially.

Stone uncharacteristically turned the puck over at the offensive blue line in Tuesday's affair, then barely backchecked as Montreal's Cole Caufield buried a pass from Corey Perry on a quick counterattack to make it 3-0 for the Habs. Stone, again uncharacteristically, whacked his stick on the boards and cursed to himself as he returned to the Vegas bench. It was only the second period.

He was clearly rattled and disgusted. Honestly, it's hard to blame him.

In 102 total minutes against Montreal, Stone has failed to register a point. He has just 12 shot attempts (six of which have missed the net or been blocked), four takeaways to two giveaways (a lackluster ratio for the takeaway king), and nine hits taken to six hits delivered. With Stone on the ice at five-on-five, the Golden Knights have owned 48% of the shot attempts (78-72), 31% of the expected goals (4.64-2.12), and 33% of the goals (4-2), according to Natural Stat Trick. None of those percentages are encouraging.

The Canadiens have basically rendered Stone, normally an extremely effective player at five-on-five, ineffective. A bounce-back Game 6 performance from him is essential if Vegas hopes to force a seventh contest.

Vegas' attack woes

Stone's lack of production wouldn't be so devastating if the rest of the Golden Knights' forwards weren't producing at similarly depressing rates.

Mattias Janmark scored a goal to put Vegas up 3-1 in an eventual 4-1 Game 1 victory, and Max Pacioretty scored the team's lone goal in a 4-1 Game 5 loss. Beyond those tallies - neither of which was crucial to the outcome of the game - it's been crickets. The Golden Knights have mustered just 11 goals in this series. Amazingly, nine have come from defensemen.

Naturally, frustration appears highest among the club's highest-paid forwards - Stone, Pacioretty, William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith. The shift-by-shift output for all five hasn't been terrible (Smith, for one, has been fine), but it also hasn't been nearly good enough to win a series.

There seems to be a sharpness absent from Vegas' attack. Game 5, in particular, was littered with missed reads, missed passes, and missed nets.

Marchessault, the franchise leader in points, is a microcosm of the group's problems. The feisty winger has recorded a measly eight shots on goal through the first five games of the series despite notching 29 shot attempts. Of the 21 attempts that didn't count as a shot on goal, 11 were blocked, and 10 missed the net.

Insulation for Price

The catch in Vegas' quest to reignite the regular season's third-ranked offense is that Montreal has a say, too.

The Habs are a well-oiled machine, with four gigantic defensemen in Shea Weber, Jeff Petry, Joel Edmundson, and Ben Chiarot playing simple hockey. All series, they've clogged up the neutral zone, invaded passing and shooting lanes, and leaned on the opposition with physicality. Steely goalie Carey Price, meanwhile, has been standing on his head, building on his strong Conn Smythe Trophy case with a series save percentage of .929.

Stone, Marchessault, and the rest of the Golden Knights are facing the same issue that plagued the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets: Not only is it incredibly difficult to penetrate the middle of the ice and get a clean shot on Price, but the 33-year-old is always in position and always in control of the rebound.

The Habs have built a fortress around their goalie, and their goalie is completely dialed in. Unless Vegas finds a way to create better offensive-zone puck movement and lure Montreal's blue-liners out of their rigid positioning, the Canadiens' plan will continue to work.

Suzuki-Caufield chemistry

Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner told reporters after Game 4 that the scouting report on Caufield indicated he likes to either shoot high or aim for the five-hole on breakaways. How did the smiley 20-year-old rookie respond?

He scored a fast-break goal in Game 5 that was neither high nor low - nor, really, anywhere close to the five-hole. On the aforementioned odd-man rush precipitated by Stone's turnover, Caufield's shot cleanly beat Lehner's goaltending partner, Marc-Andre Fleury. It remains to be seen which netminder will be tasked with trying to stop Caufield in Game 6, but the scouting talk is almost certainly over with.

Caufield and center Nick Suzuki have been a breath of fresh air for Canadiens fans this postseason. Not because the fan base didn't expect chemistry between the club's brightest offensive stars, but because of what a Caufield-Suzuki tandem might unlock for the storied franchise in both the present and future.

The well-rounded nature of Caufield's game has been on full display against Vegas. He probably has a higher hockey IQ and playmaking ability than most anticipated. He also has a nonstop motor and takes care of his defensive responsibilities. Caufield's nose for the net and wicked shot were hyped long before his NHL debut, and he's delivered with a series-leading three goals so far.

Suzuki, a second-year pro, can shoot and pass at elite levels, and both are showing well in his series-high five points. The 21-year-old is cerebral and responsible, and Montreal's coaching staff has rewarded him with 19 minutes of ice time a night. Suzuki is the No. 1 center the Habs needed.

Together with veteran winger Tyler Toffoli, Caufield and Suzuki have been electric. It's gravy, in many ways, because of their respective ages and lack of NHL experience. Game 6 offers another opportunity to witness a special tandem build further on its baseline chemistry - for this run and the future.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov left Game 6 against the New York Islanders early in the first period after suffering an apparent injury and has yet to return.

Kucherov took a heavy crosscheck from Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield before departing.

The 28-year-old also looked to be in discomfort after taking a run at Mathew Barzal later in the same shift. Kucherov left the game almost immediately afterward.

The 2019 Hart Trophy winner entered Wednesday's action leading all skaters with 27 points this postseason.

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