Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey exited Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights with a lower-body injury.
Morrissey played just 1:14 before leaving the game. The team confirmed he won't return to the contest.
The 28-year-old appeared to sustain the injury in a collision with Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud.
This appears to be the play where Morrissey's injury occurred. He gave it a go on a power play shift later on, but wasn't able to continue.#NHLJets down to five defencemen for the rest of Game 3. https://t.co/1vpppKMKDrpic.twitter.com/h4Y15gQhQf
The biggest story out of Los Angeles on Friday night wasn't Connor McDavid's two goals in under two minutes; it was a lengthy overtime review for a potential high stick.
With the Kings on the power play in the extra frame, Los Angeles forward Gabriel Vilardi appeared to hit the puck overhead with a high stick. However, the play continued, with Vilardi setting up Trevor Moore in front of the Oilers' net to give the Kings a 3-2 win and a 2-1 series lead.
Although McDavid raised his arm as Vilardi's apparent high stick went uncalled, a subsequent review by the league's situation room found no conclusive evidence that the puck made contact with Vilardi's stick above the normal height of his shoulders.
"The puck kinda goes up and it goes off his stick. So I call, 'High stick.' That's what I saw on the ice," McDavid recalled postgame. "Obviously, play goes on and they score. They have that review in place for a reason. I guess they determined they couldn't tell."
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) April 22, 2023
Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft backed his superstar.
"I thought it's a play where the greatest player in the world is two feet away as it happens," Woodcroft said. "His arm comes straight up in the air because he knows that it hit the stick. Otherwise, he wouldn't put his arm up in the air, he would keep playing.
"It appears to me in the video that the puck's going straight up in a trajectory and deadens. In the end, I'm gonna go with the greatest player in the world who's three feet away."
Despite the controversy, Woodcroft acknowledged the Oilers can take fewer penalties. Edmonton has amassed 36 penalty minutes throughout the series, while Los Angeles has taken 22.
Leon Draisaitl, who also took a slashing penalty that led to a Kings power-play goal in Game 3, admitted that his team could be "smarter." However, he also expressed frustration with the officiating, arguing that defenseman Drew Doughty got away with a hit on McDavid.
"You don't call a clear knee-on-knee right in front of you, and then you call a slashing penalty - which is not smart on my part, I know that - but I just don't really know what the standard is right now," Draisaitl said.
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) April 22, 2023
Ekblad immediately went to the dressing room, but he returned moments later to play two more shifts in the second period. However, he missed the final six minutes of the middle frame and didn't return for the third period.
Head coach Paul Maurice said postgame that there was no update on Ekblad and that the defenseman will be evaluated further on Saturday, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Ekblad has had difficulty staying healthy in recent years, missing 53 games over the past three seasons due to various ailments.
The 27-year-old had a down regular season by his standards, recording 14 goals and 24 assists in 71 games. He finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting last year, racking up 57 points in 61 contests.
In this edition of Mailbag Friday, Dan and Sat talk about Brock Boeser's rescinded trade request, Vancouver's Stanley Cup hopes in the next few years compared to Seattle's future, and Morgan Wallen.
This podcast was produced by Ben Basran.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
Dan and Sat take a look at Brock Boeser's challenges off the ice and what his future with the team looks like. Former Canuck Jannik Hansen joins the show to discuss off-season training.
This podcast was produced by Ben Basran.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
Connor Bedard won't suit up for Team Canada at the upcoming 2023 IIHF World Championship, reports Sportsnet's Jeff Marek.
The 17-year-old phenom was considered an option for Canada at the tournament, which begins May 12 in Latvia and Finland.
Bedard is the consensus favorite to be selected first overall at the 2023 NHL Draft. He recorded 71 goals and 72 assists in 57 regular-season games with the WHL's Regina Pats this season. He added 20 points in seven playoff contests before the Pats were eliminated.
The North Vancouver, British Columbia, product represented Canada at the world juniors this year, taking home MVP honors after registering 23 points in seven games en route to a gold medal.
Bedard wouldn't have been the first top draft-eligible prospect to play for Canada at the World Championship. Owen Power was the most recent to do so in 2021.
This first-round series between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars is getting spicy.
Stars head coach Peter DeBoer took aim at Wild bench boss Dean Evason after he recently accused Dallas players of diving.
"There's a hockey term for that. It's called deflection," DeBoer said Friday prior to Game 3 of the tied series, per The Athletic's Joe Smith. "You know what, if I were coaching one of the most penalized teams in the league, I'd probably be doing the same thing. That's good coaching."
Following the Stars' Game 2 win on Wednesday, DeBoer pointed out that the Wild were the sixth-most penalized squad during the regular season and Dallas was "ready for that." The Stars, meanwhile, were the sixth-least penalized team.
Minnesota racked up 52 penalty minutes during its 7-3 loss, including four misconducts.
Evason responded to DeBoer's remarks on Thursday.
"We felt that they had some bigger people probably go down pretty easy in that hockey game," he said, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "We've talked about this before, and it's a fine line because we don't dive. ... There's so many times I would love to go in there and go, 'You know what, guys? Let's embellish.'
"I mean, you want to draw penalties because of how hard you're working and how gritty you are and whatever."
The Stars have scored five power-play goals on 11 opportunities in the series, including three tallies in Game 2. The Wild, meanwhile, have converted twice on nine chances.
Dallas has compiled 62 penalty minutes in the series, while Minnesota has taken 66.
Puck drops on Game 3 in Minnesota at 9:30 p.m. ET.