Welcome to Puck Pursuit, an NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Luke Fox, hockey writer for Sportsnet, joins the show to discuss a variety of NHL restart-related topics, including:

• Thoughts and observations on Phase 3 of NHL plan
• Who wins battle of playing styles between Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets?
• Why the Rangers could be a dark horse in restart
• Storylines to watch from East round-robin games

... and more!

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Boston Bruins forwards David Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase aren't expected to practice with the club until the team arrives in Toronto, team president Cam Neely said Wednesday, according to NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin.

"It's hard to say right now," Neely said. "My best guess would be Toronto. Once we get to Toronto, I think we'll be fine."

Pastrnak and Kase haven't participated in the majority of Boston's training camp. Pastrnak's agent said July 17 that his client is quarantining after coming in contact with someone that tested positive for COVID-19, though Pastrnak himself tested negative.

Pastrnak finished the season tied for the NHL lead with 48 goals in 70 games, adding 47 assists for a career-high 95 points. Kase only played in six games with the Bruins after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks prior to the trade deadline.

Both players spent the majority of the NHL's hiatus in their native Czech Republic. The Bruins have missed numerous key players during training camp because of Massachusetts regulations regarding the pandemic.

"Some other teams are dealing with this, obviously, but what the state regulations are compared to maybe some other states are a little different across the country," Neely said. "We're following all the state guidelines. ... We're following all the protocols, not just the league protocols, but the state protocols."

All teams are expected to travel to their respective hub cities by July 26. The Bruins, the No. 1 seed in the East, will participate in a round robin with the other top-four teams in the conference beginning Aug. 2 versus the Philadelphia Flyers.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews opposed the return-to-play plan and CBA extension ratified by the NHL and NHLPA in early July.

The Blackhawks and the Carolina Hurricanes were the only teams two to vote against the league's proposal when the NHLPA's executive board took its most recent tally, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said on "31 Thoughts: The Podcast" on July 16.

Toews is the Blackhawks' player representative, and Jordan Martinook serves the same role for the Hurricanes.

"I have been told by many, many, many people that one of the most vocal players during the process of coming back to play was Jonathan Toews, that he asked a lot of questions," Friedman said.

"And other players said ... he was great, he asked relevant questions, (and) he challenged whether or not this was really safe to play. They said that when you talk about star players standing up for other people, he did that."

The Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning were the only two teams to oppose the NHL's 24-team playoff in an earlier vote in May.

The NHL and NHLPA ratified the deal to resume the 2019-20 season on July 10.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.

There seems to be a belief in hockey circles that young legs will be the least impacted by the NHL's long pause, while older players will take longer to get going.

That idea will be put to the test as the budding Vancouver Canucks take on a veteran Minnesota Wild squad in a best-of-five series.

The case for Vancouver

The Canucks are among the league's biggest beneficiaries from the pause in play. When the campaign was halted, they were on a 6-9-2 run, had just lost starting goalie Jacob Markstrom for the season, and were trending toward missing the playoffs altogether. This break afforded them a mental reset while allowing their prized asset to get back between the pipes.

With Markstrom, the Canucks have a massive edge over Minnesota in goal. The Swede is enjoying a career season with a .918 save percentage and 2.75 goals-against average. Playing for a new contract and going up against a Wild team that doesn't pack much scoring punch, a rested Markstrom will thrive.

That's not the only area where the Canucks have an edge. Led by Elias Pettersson - whose campaign was worthy of Hart consideration - Vancouver has the superior top six, as well as an advantage behind the bench (the Wild are being instructed by an interim coach) and a favorable mismatch on special teams, where the Canucks' fourth-ranked power play will face the Wild's 25th-ranked penalty kill.

The case for Minnesota

Vancouver's high-flying attack won't strike much fear into a Minnesota team that excels defensively. The Wild do a terrific job of suppressing high-danger shots and forcing opponents to the perimeter, reflected in their 2.07 expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) total this season - the lowest mark in the NHL. Their overall goals-against numbers weren't great, but that's down to Devan Dubnyk's struggles. Alex Stalock eventually took over as the regular starter and posted a .920 SV% from Jan. 16 on, with the Wild going 11-4-1 in his starts over that span.

While limiting goals against wasn't an issue for the Wild, scoring was. Minnesota ranked in the bottom third of a number of offensive categories but experienced a reversal of fortune over the second half following the emergence of Kevin Fiala. The 23-year-old came to life in February and ignited the Minnesota offense, posting 14 goals and 12 assists in the Wild's 18 games before the break. It's no coincidence that they averaged 3.5 goals per game over that span. For comparison, the Tampa Bay Lightning were the league's best offense this season, averaging exactly 3.5 goals per game.

If the Wild truly have the offense to match their typically dependable defense, the Canucks are in trouble. Also helping Minnesota's cause is a porous Vancouver defense that posted a 2.77 xGA/60 this season - third-worst in the NHL. The Wild play a fundamentally sound brand of hockey suited for the postseason, while the Canucks' defensive game plan is for Markstrom to bail them out. That's ... not ideal.

The pick

Minnesota Wild (+115)

Minnesota came a long way over the second half of the season thanks to Fiala's emergence, a more aggressive approach under interim head coach Dean Evason, and the steadiness of Stalock. Vancouver boasts plenty of firepower, but it's still a very green team that's a bit too unstructured in its approach, and that will cost the Canucks against the stingy, patient Wild.

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Despite Toronto being chosen as a hub city for the NHL's return to play, the Maple Leafs are adjusting to not having full use of their regular amenities.

To level the playing field, the NHL is making distinct efforts to ensure the host teams - Toronto and Edmonton - don't get full use of their facilities. For example, the Maple Leafs will have to use the visitors' dressing rooms and converted media room space for games where they're the "road" team.

"That's going to be quite challenging," head coach Sheldon Keefe told Sportsnet's Chris Johnston on Tuesday. "I think we've got enough time next week where we're going to get that feeling."

Captain John Tavares said the Leafs won't have time to dwell on the differences from their normal routine.

"I think for our group, the getting comfortable with being uncomfortable (is important) and dealing with the uncertainties and things that you're accustomed to or used to, just realizing they may not be there," Tavares said. "You might not have access to that. We're the visiting team in our building, there's going to be no fans.

"It just is what it is."

The Maple Leafs are the visiting team for their exhibition contest versus the Montreal Canadiens on July 28. Afterward, they're the home squad for Games 1, 2, and 5, if necessary, for their play-in series versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers signed forward Oskar Lindblom to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $3 million, the club announced Wednesday.

More to come.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders' future facility now has a name.

The Belmont Park building will be called UBS Arena, as the Swiss-based investment bank and financial services company secured an exclusive 20-year naming rights agreement.

Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke told Newsday's Jim Baumbach and Candice Ferrette that UBS intended to "send a strong message about their commitment to the future of this city, the metropolitan area, and the economy" in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

OVG is helping oversee the site's development in addition to guiding the renovation of Climate Pledge Arena - formerly KeyArena - the home of Seattle's NHL expansion franchise. UBS' American headquarters are located in New York City.

Construction at the Belmont Park site resumed in May after the $1.5-billion project was paused in late March due to the pandemic.

The team broke ground last September, targeting the start of the 2021-22 season for its official opening.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.