The incident marks the fourth suspension of the playoffs so far, as Hartman joins Drew Doughty (one game), Nazem Kadri (three games), and Josh Morrissey (one game).
Here's a look at the play, which occurred in the third period of Nashville's 3-2 victory.
Vatanen collected 28 points in 57 games after being traded to New Jersey from the Anaheim Ducks, and finished as the Devils' leader in average ice time.
Game 5 is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. The Devils trail 3-1 in the series.
"We told Hank that if he didn't want to ride it out through this process, we'd find a good landing place for him," James Dolan, executive chairman of The Madison Square Garden Company, told the New York Post's Larry Brooks. "But he said he wanted to stay and see it through.
"I'm very happy thats the way he feels. I think with him at the top of his game, that gives us our best chance of competing for a playoff spot next year."
Even prior to the Rangers announcing their rebuilding plans in February, Lundqvist remained committed to the team, stating, "I want to be here and battle through the ups and downs."
The goaltender is signed through the 2020-21 season with an $8.5-million annual cap hit and a full no-movement clause, per Cap Friendly.
Despite turning 36 on March 2 and having a poor defensive team in front of him, Lundqvist still managed to post a .915 save percentage this past season.
Hammond entered Game 4 in relief of Bernier early in the third period and stopped all eight shots he faced in the Avs' 3-2 loss.
Despite starting just five games over the past two seasons, the 30-year-old Hammond does have prior playoff experience. After his miraculous run to lead the Ottawa Senators to the postseason in 2014-15, he started two playoff games, going 0-2 with a .914 save percentage and 3.44 goals against average.
However, he'll certainly be in tough against the top team in the league in a hostile road environment for a netminder.
The Winnipeg Jetsrecalled defenseman Sami Niku from the AHL's Manitoba Moose on Thursday with Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild looming Friday.
The Jets' blue line is awfully thin at the moment. Josh Morrissey is suspended for Game 5, Tyler Myers was injured in Game 3 and missed Game 4, Toby Enstrom hasn't been cleared to play yet, and Dmitry Kulikov isn't expected back for at least another month.
If Myers and Enstrom are unable to go Friday, the Jets could be forced to ice the following defensive pairings:
LD
RD
Joe Morrow
Dustin Byfuglien
Ben Chiarot
Jacob Trouba
Sami Niku
Tucker Poolman
The 21-year-old Niku showed promise with the Moose this season, scoring 16 goals with 54 points in 76 games. However, the former seventh-round pick has just one game of NHL experience under his belt.
The Carolina Hurricanes have named Paul Krepelka vice president of hockey operations, the team announced Thursday.
Krepelka previously served as director of player development with the ECHL's Norfolk Admirals, and worked as a sports agent for 20 years. He will be primarily responsible for handling contract negotiations and other hockey operations matters.
"Paul has been involved in professional hockey for nearly 30 years, developing experience and relationships that will be of great value to the Hurricanes," said Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon.
Despite hiring Krepelka, the Hurricanes are still on the hunt for a general manager.
Don Waddell is currently their interim GM, but with the draft and free agency fast approaching, Carolina has yet to place someone in charge for the long term.
Whoever takes on Ron Francis' former duties could immediately have a lot on their plate, as head coach Bill Peters has until Friday to exercise an opt-out clause in his contract.
NEWARK, N.J. - In a season where Nikita Kucherov established himself as one of the top offensive threats in the league, the Tampa Bay Lightning winger also displayed a more cantankerous side than in past years.
Kucherov was popped five times apiece for holding and slashing, three times for hooking, twice for roughing, and once each for cross-checking, delay of game, elbowing, high-sticking, interference, and tripping. That's 21 minor penalties for a career-high 42 penalty minutes - garden-variety stuff for a player who had his first 100-point season. Basically, every four games or so, Kucherov made a mistake and wound up in the penalty box.
It happened again in Game 4 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. Kucherov got called for holding in the second period, which negated a Lightning power play.
It was not the hold, however, that made Devils coach John Hynes so furious that he held an 82-second postgame press conference after Kucherov's two goals and an assist had led the Lightning to a 3-1 victory and a 3-1 series lead.
"I don't have any comment on it," Hynes said of the Kucherov hit that knocked New Jersey's best defenseman, Sami Vatanen, out of the game. "It does me no good to get into it."
The collision happened late in the first period, after Kucherov had assisted on J.T. Miller's tying goal, then scored the tiebreaker himself. Vatanen was in his own zone, likely intending to circle back behind the net after receiving the puck from defense partner Andy Greene, when Kucherov skated into the Finn’s path and blasted him with a high, hard hit - one that was judged clean by referees Wes McCauley and Tim Peel.
"It's just the way the game is in the playoffs," Kucherov said. "Too much physical games, there's not space, and you might sometimes throw a hit. … I didn't want to hurt him, but if I see a guy with the puck, I'm going to finish (the hit). I'm not doing it a lot, but sometimes, you might as well just throw it."
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
As much as the play enraged the Devils, it was an important moment for the Lightning - a bigger takeaway from Game 4 than the fact that Kucherov scored his third and fourth goals of the series. After all, he scored 39 times in the regular season, so that was nothing new. But Kucherov being a physical force? That was something different.
"He's normally the one dancing around guys," Miller said. "I couldn't believe it was him. I was right behind him, and that's a big-league hit right there. That's the type of player he is. He's competitive. He wants to win really bad. Obviously, he's such an important player for us."
It was Miller who was put on Kucherov's line with Steven Stamkos to be the power forward and accentuate the skills of Tampa Bay's two all-world wingers. After a sloppy 5-2 loss in Game 3, seeing Kucherov - all 5-foot-11 and 178 pounds of him - playing the heavy Wednesday sent a message to his teammates: It was time to take things to another level.
In the final two periods, already in the lead, the Lightning outshot the Devils 25-15, with three penalties for each team. That's how Tampa Bay wanted to play, re-centering itself after Monday's defeat.
"Kuch flexed his muscles," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "He's been pretty dynamic on the power play, but tonight he was, I thought, all around, he was the best player on the ice. When you're playing on both sides of the puck, you're contributing offensively, defensively, you're physical, you're engaged, it did nothing but lift our team. He's a big part of why we won."
As NHL teams are eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, theScore NHL freelance writer Katie Brown looks back at the highs and lows of their seasons, along with the biggest questions ahead of 2018-19. The 15th edition focuses on the St. Louis Blues, who missed the playoffs by one point.
The Good
Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz. Schenn has thrived since landing with the Blues and was their leading scorer this season, posting career highs in goals (28) and points (70). He clicked immediately with linemate Schwartz, who recorded 59 points of his own. The two were occasionally joined by Vladimir Tarasenko to form a truly dangerous top line.
Carter Hutton. Backup goalie Hutton had the best year of his career, playing 32 games and posting career-high stats in save percentage (.931) and goals-against average (2.09) - both tops in the NHL. His 26 wins were also the second highest of his career. Hutton will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he’s bound to get a raise from someone, if not St. Louis.
Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues' captain followed up a career year in 2016-17 with another in 2017-18, as his 15 goals and 54 points in 78 games were the best marks of his career. He also set career highs in shots on goal (216) and blocked shots (164). Pietrangelo might have been a Norris contender if he wasn't slowed down by a foot injury in December.
The Bad
The power play. The Blues’ power play ranked second last in the NHL. Their 0.463 power-play goals per game was the worst rate in franchise history, and the team finished one goal shy of tying the franchise's full-season record for fewest power-play tallies. It was a steep drop from 2016-17, when the Blues boasted the league's No. 8 power play.
Lots of injuries. Robby Fabbri missed the entire season, Jay Bouwmeester played in just 35 games, while Patrik Berglund appeared in only 56 contests. And losing Schwartz to a broken ankle in December - an injury that knocked him out of action for a month and a half - proved to be catastrophic for the team's postseason chances.
Jake Allen. Allen had one of his worst seasons as a starting goalie, going 27-24-3 with a .906 save percentage and a 2.75 GAA. There were times when he had just about zero goal support, but those numbers are still undeniably poor for a starter in this league.
The Questions
Will Tarasenko be ready? Tarasenko separated his shoulder in the last game of the season and had surgery during the second week of April. The recovery timeline for this ailment is projected as four-to-six months, so the Blues hope to have him back when training camp starts in the fall.
What can be done this summer? It’s no secret that the Blues' offense was a one-line show all season long, so GM Doug Armstrong needs to do something about that. Perhaps he throws his hat in the ring for John Tavares or goes after Mike Hoffman. Many wondered why Armstrong didn’t do anything when Fabbri was lost for the year or when Schwartz was sidelined for six weeks, but he has a chance this summer to make the Blues a playoff team in 2018-19, and he should seize that opportunity.
Will Hutton re-sign? Hutton's stellar regular-season performance went a long way toward proving he can be a No. 1 goaltender, as he rose to the challenge when Allen slumped midseason. Hutton should see a raise from the $1.125 million he made this season, but will he be in St. Louis, or will another team give him a shot?
The New York Rangers made it clear prior to the 2018 trade deadline that they were entering a rebuild. In a statement released by the team, president Glen Sather and general manager Jeff Gorton expressed their intent to add "young, competitive players that combine speed, skill, and character."
After firing Alain Vigneault earlier in April, the Rangers are looking for a head coach who can help develop these young players.
"We're looking for someone who can develop players and develop a team," James Dolan, executive chairman of The Madison Square Garden Company, told the New York Post's Larry Brooks on Wednesday. "We want someone who is going to be able to work with young players - all of our players, really - so that they and we improve from one stage of the season to the next and we're better at the end of the year than at the beginning."
While Dolan appreciated Vigneault's work, he admitted he wasn't the right fit for the team.
"I think Alain was a great coach, but a great coach for a developed team," Dolan said. "Even though he probably didn't mean to, he sort of affirmed that himself when he talked after the last game about how he didn't have the players this year."
"(Vigneault) was probably correct, but the next coach is going to have to be able to take the players we have, the young guys we have, and get them to the next level. I liked what I saw in the young guys and so did the staff," Dolan said.
"The guy we hire has to be a developmental coach, I can't stress that enough."
The Rangers already have a list of candidates in mind, and while the owner thinks NHL experience is valuable, in the end, he just wants "the best guy."
Based on Dolan's criteria, Todd Nelson, who has NHL head coaching experience with the Oilers and plenty of AHL success, would seem to be a nice fit. So too would Sheldon Keefe, who has done an impressive job developing young talent with the Maple Leafs' AHL club.
Regardless of who takes over behind the bench, the Rangers are well-equipped to right the ship sooner rather than later. They have seven picks in the first three rounds of the draft, and nearly $25 million in projected cap space, per Cap Friendly.
With some young building blocks already in place, such as Mika Zibanejad, Dolan believes the Blueshirts could be in line for a quick turnaround.
"We're committed to winning the Stanley Cup. I can't give a timetable, but I also think we can compete for a playoff spot next year and sneak into seventh or eighth place," he said. "We're rebuilding but it doesn't have to take forever."
