After a shocking upset at the hands of the 12th-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the NHL's qualifying round, Sidney Crosby believes the window for the Pittsburgh Penguins' championship core may soon be closing.
"With age, it's a possibility," Crosby said, according to NHL.com's Wes Crosby. "But I can only speak personally. Obviously, I would've liked to stay a little bit healthier and play a full season."
He added: "It's a really hard one to evaluate. That's the honest truth as far as trying to break this all down. It's a tough one to evaluate overall."
Crosby - who turned 33 years old Friday - Evgeni Malkin (34), and Kris Letang (33) have all been with the Penguins during their three Stanley Cup wins since 2009.
The trio has struggled to stay healthy recently. Crosby played in 41 games during the 2019-20 season, while Malkin and Letang appeared in 55 and 61 contests, respectively.
However, head coach Mike Sullivan believes those three players still have years left in the tank.
"I think these guys are still elite players. I believe in this core," Sullivan said. "They're elite hockey players, and I still think there's elite play left in them. So, that's just what I believe. Obviously, at some point, everybody's window closes. ... But I strongly believe that this group has a lot of elite hockey (left)."
Letang echoed his coach's sentiment and said he believes Pittsburgh will contend in the near future.
"I think we still believe in the core group of this team," Letang said. "I think we have a lot left in the tank. We're going to keep playing hard and give everything for the Penguins. I think we have to be better. This year, we didn't play good enough to win, but I feel comfortable with the group of guys that we have."
We've seen plenty of action so far with the first week in the books from the NHL's bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton. All but one series has concluded, and upsets have taken place across the board. There's been no shortage of incredible plays with teams vying for playoff spots and seeding positions. It's been nearly five months since the season was paused on March 12, but it seems as though players haven't missed a step.
Let's take a look at the top 10 plays from across the league until now.
10. Hughes continues to dazzle in postseason
Quinn Hughes may be a rookie, but he was one of the best defensemen in the league this season. His six points in four games lead all blue-liners in the postseason so far. He managed to finally get on the board with his first career playoff goal in Game 4. The 20-year-old simply makes it look easy sometimes, as he wired a wicked wrister top shelf through traffic from high in the zone.
The Montreal Canadiens defenseman scored two of his team's most important goals against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the series. Considering Jeff Petry started just 15% of his shifts at 5-on-5 in the offensive zone during the series, that's pretty impressive. It's hard to choose between his overtime goal in Game 1 or his game-winning goal in Game 3, so here's both.
The Columbus Blue Jackets thought they were down and out in Game 3 of their series against Toronto until Pierre-Luc Dubois decided they weren't. The forward scored two goals to help the Blue Jackets climb out of a 3-0 hole before they eventually tied it. Dubois capped off the night with a pretty backhand goal to complete the hat trick in overtime and recorded the first-ever three-goal night in Columbus postseason history.
These two sequences flew a bit under the radar, but they perfectly showcase some of the reasons Carey Price remains one of the best goalies in the league. Facing one of the league's most dangerous power plays, the Canadiens netminder flawlessly navigates around the crease, keeping his eye on the puck, and, most importantly, keeping it out of the net.
The Carolina Hurricanes netminder started his first postseason game in seven years, and it didn't look like he missed a beat. James Reimer stopped 37 of the 38 shots he faced and made one of the most mesmerizing saves of the qualifying round. With nearly every player on the ice in his crease, the 32-year-old managed to sprawl and get his stick out to deny the Rangers of a sure goal.
The @canes advanced last night, and if you missed it, THIS was one of the most incredible sequences we've seen in a long time.
β #StanleyCup Qualifiers on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) August 5, 2020
5. Aho seals sweep with nifty solo effort
Sebastian Aho turned 23 years old a couple of weeks ago, and it seems like he's getting better and better. He put up eight points in the Hurricanes' three games and helped seal the sweep against the New York Rangers when he potted a pretty solo effort goal in Game 3. He's a threat whenever he steps on the ice, and he's quickly proving why he's one of the best in the league.
β #StanleyCup Qualifiers on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) August 5, 2020
4. Carrier did what?!
William Carrier is a great hockey player, but he definitely isn't known for his elite goal-scoring capabilities. With just 21 goals in 203 career games, the Vegas Golden Knights forward secured his first-ever postseason goal in style. With the clock winding down in a tie game against the Dallas Stars, the gritty forward took a bank pass off the end boards and put it through his legs and into the net.
π€―
What a π₯ move by William Carrier to lock up the comeback W for Vegas
β Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) August 4, 2020
3. McDavid continues to be a cheat code
It seems like every time Connor McDavid steps on the ice, he does something new that blows the minds of hockey fans everywhere. This year's postseason was no different. Yes, he scored a hat trick - big deal. But his second goal was arguably one of the best of his career. In a quick few seconds, he managed to show off his incredible hand-eye coordination to bat a puck down, put his absurd speed on full display, and made Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Olli Maatta look like a minor-league defender.
β #StanleyCup Qualifiers on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) August 4, 2020
2. Kadri beats the buzzer
The stakes may not have been as high as other qualifying-round series since it was just a round-robin game, but Nazem Kadri managed to score one of the most suspenseful goals of the opening round. With less than a second left on the clock, the Colorado Avalanche forward managed to whack one in the net to secure the victory.
The Toronto Maple Leafs looked to be on their way out of the postseason in disappointing fashion once again until they pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history. The Leafs managed to score three goals with their goalie pulled in the last four minutes of regulation and then won the game in overtime to force a Game 5. Toronto was the third team in NHL history to win a postseason game after overcoming a three-goal deficit in the final four minutes.
Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat is happy to see how far the franchise has come after his team defeated the Minnesota Wild to advance to the round of 16 on Friday.
"This franchise has been through a lot," Horvat said, according to NHL.com's David Satriano. "These last four years, not making the playoffs, we've taken it to heart. We wanted to come out and prove ourselves, play hard. We have a great group of guys here, and to finally get a playoff win under our belt in a playoff series, it definitely feels great, but we've got a lot more work to do."
The Canucks have made the playoffs three times in the last eight seasons and haven't advanced past the first round of the postseason since they were one win away from capturing the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 2011.
Horvat, who was selected ninth overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, has been a big part of the Canucks' rebuild. He leads the team in games played (446), goals (120), and points (275) since his rookie season.
The 25-year-old pointed to goaltender Jacob Markstrom as one of the biggest reasons behind the Canucks' regular-season success and their qualifying series win.
"He's been a brick wall for us all year," Horvat said. "He might want a couple back or one of them back tonight, but you know what, he's been our rock ever since Day 1, and we wouldn't be in this position right now without him."
Markstrom was superb through the first three games of the series, allowing five goals on 92 shots, including a shutout in Game 3. He stopped just 25 of the 29 shots he faced in Game 4.
Vancouver will face the loser of the final round-robin game between the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues in the first round of the NHL's traditional playoff format.
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."
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.
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.
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.
After getting eliminated from the postseason by the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice offered some encouraging news about some of his injured stars.
"No, we don't think there's any long-term concerns. Mark (Scheifele) finished with a second opinion today. We don't think there is any Achilles damage so he'll heal," Maurice said postgame. "Patrik (Laine) sprained his hand and it's the top hand on his stick, so he couldn't hold his stick, and Mason Appleton suffered a shoulder injury. None of those are long term, but they're all two-to-three weeks minimum."
Maurice offered some caution with his description of Scheifele's injury, saying the forward needs to "get more imaging done."
Scheifele and Laine were both injured in Game 1 and never returned to the ice during the series. Winnipeg managed to win Game 2 without them, but their absence proved to be too much to overcome in Game 3 and 4.
With the 2020-21 season not expected to begin for several months, the Jets will have plenty of time get healthy.
The NHL announced Thursday that it will move forward with the final phase of its draft lottery on Monday, Aug. 10 at 6 p.m. ET.
In the initial draft lottery in June, a placeholder team won the first overall selection. The second phase of the lottery will be a draw involving the eight teams that are eliminated during the qualifying play-in round to determine which team gets the top pick.
The only team that has been eliminated from the qualifying round as of Thursday morning is the New York Rangers.
Each team will have an equal 12.5% chance at the No. 1 selection.
The seven teams that do not win the top pick will be assigned 2020 NHL Draft positions 9-15 in inverse order of their points percentages at the time the regular season was paused.
The projected top pick of the draft is QMJHL phenom Alexis Lafreniere.
Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice isn't happy with how one of his team's best players, Mark Scheifele, was injured in Saturday's 4-1 loss during the first day of the NHL's return.
Scheifele left the contest versus the Calgary Flames minutes into the opening frame after he got tangled up with Matthew Tkachuk along the boards. The Flames forward's skate appeared to nick the back of Scheifele's leg, sending him to the ice writhing in pain.
In the eyes of the Jets bench boss, the move was certainly no accident.
"It was intentional. It was a filthy, dirty kick to the back of the leg," Maurice said, per Sportsnet. "You can't see it on the program feed, but you take the blueline feed and you zoom in. He went after the back of his leg. Could have cut his Achilles. Could have ended the man's career. It's an absolutely filthy disgusting hit."
While Maurice may have deemed the move intentional, Tkachuk quickly denied that idea when speaking after the game.
"I feel terrible. Such a great guy," Tkachuk said, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "Itβs not good for the game when someone like that isnβt in the game. It was an accident and I feel terrible about it."
It isn't just the one injury that Maurice needs to worry about going forward, as the head coach added that Patrik Laine, who injured his hand late in the game, will join Scheifele in seeing a specialist on Sunday to be evaluated, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.