Tomas Tatar and Tomas Nosek are back in the lineup for the Vegas Golden Knights.

The wingers were reinserted in place of David Perron and Oscar Lindberg for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night.

Tatar played in only two of the six games during Vegas' second-round series against the San Jose Sharks, and two more in the Golden Knights' first-round sweep of the Los Angeles Kings.

He previously appeared in a 4-0 loss to the Sharks in Game 4 on May 2, and had been held without a point in all four playoff appearances this spring.

Nosek suited up for all four games against the Kings and the first four games versus the Sharks. He also last played in that Game 4 defeat.

Perron had seven assists in nine postseason games this year before missing Monday's contest. Lindberg had a single point in three playoff appearances in 2018.

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Jon Cooper likened his team's performance Friday night to one he might see in midseason.

"They were playing in the Eastern Conference Final, and we were playing in Game 38," the Tampa Bay Lightning head coach told reporters, including Sportsnet's Arash Madani, after a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals in Game 1.

The Lightning fell behind 2-0 in the first period after having a Nikita Kucherov goal disallowed thanks to a too-many-men penalty, then found themselves trailing 4-0 in the second intermission before showing signs of life that came too little, too late in the third.

Washington outshot Tampa Bay 9-2 in the first period and 25-10 through 40 minutes, as they put the game out of reach.

"You could tell right away, you look up at the clock, we had a lot of zone time and we didn't have a shot on goal," Cooper said, according to Bryan Burns of the Lightning's official website. "That kind of summed up the way our night was about to go."

For the record, the Lightning won Game 38 handily, shutting out the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-0 on New Year's Eve.

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Lou Lamoriello could indeed be making a return to the Tri-State Area.

The former Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils general manager is now talking with the New York Islanders about a position within that organization, Sportsnet's John Shannon reports.

Sources insisted to The Athletic's Arthur Staple on Thursday that Lamoriello has no intention of staying on with the Leafs in a senior advisor position as originally planned.

Kyle Dubas was promoted to the Maple Leafs' GM role Friday, less than two weeks after team president Brendan Shanahan revealed Lamoriello would not continue in that capacity.

The 75-year-old had been Toronto's GM since 2015.

Lamoriello's son, Chris, is the Islanders' assistant general manager, and the elder Lamoriello served as president and GM of the Devils for nearly 30 years.

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Alex Ovechkin made the Tampa Bay Lightning pay for getting a little greedy.

The Washington Capitals captain blasted one home in the dying seconds of the first period to give his club a 2-0 lead in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Friday night.

Ovechkin's goal came on the ensuing faceoff after Nikita Kucherov's impressive tying marker was disallowed because the Lightning were caught with too many men on the ice.

It turned out to be a good call by the officials.

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Pekka Rinne faced the music after faltering in the Nashville Predators' biggest game of the season, taking full responsibility for his lackluster performance.

"It's tough," the veteran goaltender told reporters, including NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger, after the 5-1 loss that eliminated the Predators and sent the Winnipeg Jets to the Western Conference Final.

"It's the most important game of the season and I let the whole team down."

The 35-year-old was pulled just over halfway through the first period after giving up a soft goal to Paul Stastny, the second weak one he gave up while facing only seven shots as the Jets jumped out to a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish.

"It’s a terrible feeling," Rinne added, according to Brooks Bratten of the club's communications department. "You let your teammates down and it’s tough to swallow.”

Rinne's self-deprecation didn't end there.

He struggled on home ice in the series, winning only one of four games and posting subpar peripheral numbers.

Rinne, who in April was named one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender, now has one year left on his contract with Nashville.

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The Nashville Predators will be without their most experienced player for their biggest game of the season.

Mike Fisher has been ruled out of Game 7 against the Winnipeg Jets and is day to day with what the Predators are only referring to as a lower-body injury.

The 37-year-old departed Game 6 of the second-round series after playing only 2:58.

Fisher had been centering the Predators' fourth line. He hasn't contributed much offensively since his return, with two goals and four points in 16 regular-season games and only one point - a goal - in 12 playoff contests.

However, he won 58 percent of his even-strength faceoffs in his limited regular-season action and improved that to 65 percent in the playoffs.

Nashville's former captain retired in August but then signed a one-year deal to rejoin the club in late February.

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Connor McDavid potted a hat trick and Bo Horvat scored twice as Canada cruised to a 5-0 victory over Norway at the World Championship in Denmark on Thursday.

McDavid tallied twice in the first period and added one in the second, while Horvat got on the board in the opening frame and then again in the third.

Canada improved to 3-0-1-0 at the tournament and moved into a tie with the United States for first place in Group B. Norway sits in second-last place in the group with no regulation wins (0-1-1-2) through four contests.

Next up for Canada is a matchup with Finland on Saturday. Norway faces Denmark on Friday.

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When it comes to coaching, Tom Dundon doesn't believe the Xs and Os are as critical as the mindset of the Jimmys and Joes.

The Carolina Hurricanes owner downplayed the importance of game-planning and emphasized unquantifiable traits when asked whether strategy or personality was a bigger factor in the hiring of new bench boss Rod Brind'Amour.

"I've come to the conclusion that the strategy is pretty overrated," Dundon told reporters at Brind'Amour's introductory press conference Wednesday.

"I don't believe the strategy differences (between coaches) are nearly as important as getting the most out of the culture and the attitude, and I think he can do both," the owner clarified. "But the important one here in this organization is going to be effort and I think he gives us the best chance at getting the most out of these players."

As an assistant coach with the Hurricanes, Brind'Amour ran a power play that ranked 22nd in the NHL this season in terms of efficiency, and 21st in 2016-17.

He was named a Carolina assistant ahead of the 2011-12 campaign, but the club hasn't made the playoffs since his penultimate season as a player, when it reached the conference finals in 2008-09.

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The Czech Republic's roster at the ongoing World Championship is apparently about to be bolstered by a couple of talented Boston Bruins forwards.

David Pastrnak and David Krejci have an agreement in place to join the squad soon, Czech head coach Josef Jandac told Sport-Express' Igor Eronko on Tuesday night.

Jandac added that the duo will play on the same line when they arrive.

Pastrnak set new career highs in goals (35), assists (45), and points (80) this season, and became the youngest player in NHL history to notch six points in a playoff game, eclipsing none other than Wayne Gretzky. The 21-year-old racked up 20 points in 12 postseason games.

Krejci was limited to 64 regular-season contests, but chipped in 17 goals and 44 points of his own prior to the playoffs, adding 10 points in 12 postseason games.

If Krejci does suit up, it will be the first time he's represented his home country since the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, according to 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Pastrnak played in the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto in the fall of 2016.

The Czech Republic defeated Switzerland in a shootout Tuesday to move into fourth place in Group A. The Czechs have no regulation wins through the first three games, but still have four contests remaining in the preliminary round.

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Joe Thornton would like to remain in San Jose, and he's open to some concessions if that's what it takes to make it happen.

"I want to come back, and I'm sure we'll try to work something out. It's no secret I'm a Shark," the veteran forward said Tuesday at the club's clean-out session. "I bleed teal, and I want to come back. I know I'm going to be healthy when I come back, so I'm sure we can figure something out, but I want to come back."

When asked if the one-year deal he signed last summer is where he is "at" in terms of a potential contract, Thornton said that's something to which he'd be amenable.

"Yeah, I'm comfortable signing one-year deals, and it's fine."

The 38-year-old also took a selfless approach when asked if he'd be open to taking less money if that allowed the Sharks to pursue a "big fish" in free agency.

"Absolutely, there's enough money around for everybody ... I want this team ultimately to win the Stanley Cup," he said. "This city deserves it and these guys deserve it, so whatever we decide, (what's) going to be in the back of my head is just making this team better."

Thornton agreed to a one-year, $8-million deal with the Sharks last July after appearing in all but three regular-season games and four of San Jose's six playoff contests.

He played 47 games in 2017-18 before sitting out the final 35 in the regular season and all 10 in the postseason with what he revealed Tuesday to be MCL and ACL tears in his right knee, the same injuries he endured in his left knee last season.

Thornton is the Sharks' all-time assist leader, and he ranks second in points and games played behind Patrick Marleau.

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