As if coming out on the losing end of the fourth-longest contest in NHL history wasn't harsh enough, the Columbus Blue Jackets were left extra sour after a controversial missed call potentially cost them the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday in the fifth overtime frame.
Prior to Brayden Point's heroics in Game 1, Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson appeared to be hauled down on a breakaway chance; there was no call on the play that ultimately could have been a penalty shot.
Atkinson's opportunity came while Columbus was killing a delay of game penalty.
When asked about it after the game, Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones said the officiating for the entire game was subpar.
"I'd like them (refs) to come up here and give an explanation," he said, per TSN's Mark Masters. "I get a call, pretty much the same thing ... the officiating to me was, I don't know, kind of suspect all night. So, we just want a clear explanation and never got one."
Head coach John Tortorella wasn't interested in discussing it.
Game 1 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday was one for the ages. Brayden Point scored on the Lightning's 88th shot of the contest in the fifth overtime period to end the fourth-longest game in NHL history.
There was no shortage of reaction following the game, with media, fans, and even players chiming in on the madness.
The Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes were scheduled to play at Scotiabank arena at 8 p.m. ET, but that contest got delayed until Wednesday thanks to the thriller between the Lightning and Blue Jackets.
Cassidy: "Players were just waiting around, wondering what was happening, watching the game ... encouraging both teams to shoot, get the game over with."
Edmonton Oilers stars Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid may have finished atop the league in regular-season scoring, but general manager Ken Holland is challenging them to do more defensively.
"The answer would be, yes," Holland said when asked if the Oilers need the duo's defensive leadership more than their offensive influence, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector.
"They are getting better," Holland said. "But in this playoff series (against the Blackhawks), we were playing against battle-tested players (who) had won three Stanley Cups."
McDavid led all skaters in the qualifying round with five goals and nine points, while Draisaitl contributed six points in the series. However, the No. 12-seeded Blackhawks still upset the Oilers in four games.
Edmonton allowed three-plus goals in each contest and 16 during the series. Holland acknowledged the Oilers' defensive improvement this season, but he knows there are still steps ahead to become an elite team.
“We went from 25th to 17th (in goals against), but we need to make more strides,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to defend. You can’t just outscore your opponents. I don’t think that’s totally a reflection on the defencemen. It’s a reflection on the whole team, and their commitment to keeping the puck out of the net.”
With the series loss to Chicago, Edmonton failed to secure a spot in the round of 16 for the third consecutive campaign.
The real Round 1 of the playoffs is officially here. Everyone loves a good narrative, so we'll take a look at one key storyline for each series.
Note: The NHL re-seeded teams after the qualifying round.
Eastern Conference
Philadelphia Flyers (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)
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Carter Hart's favorite goalie growing up was Carey Price. Now the 21-year-old will go toe to toe with his childhood hero.
Price was the top goalie of the last decade, and today's players still believe he's the best in the league at his position. The 2015 Vezina and Hart Trophy winner was lights out in Montreal's upset series win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round. He may need to be even better for the Habs to get past Philly.
Hart, meanwhile, is unquestionably the league's best young (under 25) goaltender, and he'll likely win the Vezina Trophy in the future. But only the present matters, and he'll need to perform better than his idol for the Flyers to advance.
Tampa Bay Lightning (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7)
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Can the Lightning conquer their demons? Last year's shocking four-game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jackets surely still stings. What did they learn about playing Columbus? Tampa definitely won't take the Jackets lightly this time, but will the Lightning be able to figure out how to solve Columbus' stingy defense?
Tampa Bay could also be without Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman for the series. Stamkos didn't suit up during the round robin, and Hedman departed Saturday's game after taking an awkward fall. Their statuses for Game 1 are uncertain. Without them, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov would be counted on even more heavily to produce offense, and Ryan McDonagh and Mikhail Sergachev would log more minutes on the blue line.
The Blue Jackets are also battle-tested after a roller-coaster play-in series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, whose playing style is similar to the Lightning's. Columbus should be well-prepared to pull off another upset. Losing again would be crushing for the Lightning, with the team firmly in its Stanley Cup window.
Washington Capitals (3) vs. New York Islanders (6)
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Barry Trotz won the Stanley Cup following the last game he coached for the Capitals with Todd Reirden as his right-hand man. Now, Trotz will go head to head with his protege.
The Islanders will try to clog up the neutral zone and keep shots to the outside in the defensive zone. Despite Reirden being Trotz's disciple, his Caps are a bit more offensive-minded and will aim to make the series more wide-open. The coach whose team can dictate the pace will get the edge.
Boston Bruins (4) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (5)
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The rematch of the 2019 Eastern Conference Final could be the most entertaining Round 1 series. It will also show how much weight we should have put on the round robin and play-in results.
The Bruins didn't look like this season's Presidents' Trophy winners while going winless in the round robin. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, were the most dominant team during the qualifiers, sweeping the New York Rangers in three games by a combined score of 11-4.
These aren't the same Hurricanes the Bruins swept a year ago, as Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Co. are a year older. Jake Gardiner, Joel Edmundson, Brady Skjei, and others have also been added to the mix. Additionally, rookie Martin Necas will be a factor. The Bruins, who entered the season as the league's fourth-oldest team, haven't changed much since last year.
Carolina's chances have seemingly improved, but overlooking Boston would be downright foolish.
Western Conference
Vegas Golden Knights (1) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (8)
"I went to Chicago to help them out and got promises of getting a fair chance to play," the goaltender said after the trade. "I didn't play much in the beginning or the middle beginning of the season, even if I played really well and had a good camp."
Lehner added that eventually he took over and won nine out of 10 games, saying, "We walked up one point behind a playoff spot.
"Then, all of a sudden, I found myself on the bench for no reason," he continued. "That was tough. Plus, negotiations had totally died out."
Lehner will be out to prove he's a better netminder than Corey Crawford, with whom he shared Chicago's crease for the majority of the campaign. That is, assuming Lehner gets the call for Vegas in Game 1 over Marc-Andre Fleury.
Colorado Avalanche (2) vs. Arizona Coyotes (7)
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How far can Darcy Kuemper take the Coyotes? Though the Nashville Predators drastically outplayed Arizona in the qualifying round, Kuemper was a brick wall, posting a .933 save percentage in the 3-1 series win while facing an average of 41 shots per game.
The Avalanche are the vastly superior team and should dominate play in this series, but the Coyotes' one advantage comes between the pipes. If Kuemper can stand on his head, the Yotes have a chance. If not, this series could be over early.
Dallas Stars (3) vs. Calgary Flames (6)
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Tyler Seguin's and Ben Bishop's health could have a major effect on this series. Both of Dallas' stars missed Sunday's final round-robin contest and their statuses for Game 1 are unclear. The Stars can survive without Bishop thanks to Anton Khudobin, the best backup in the league, but Seguin would be difficult to replace. He led the team with 50 points this season, while no other player cracked 40 on the goal-starved squad.
Even if Seguin plays, you know the Flames - specifically the likes of Matthew Tkachuk and Milan Lucic - will not hold back physically.
St. Louis Blues (4) vs. Vancouver Canucks (5)
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This series will be an excellent test for Vancouver's young core. Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Quinn Hughes are about to get their first real taste of playoff hockey against a proven team built for the postseason. How will these three offensive juggernauts fare against defensive specimens like Ryan O'Reilly and Colton Parayko? The Blues are going to be extremely physical, and the Canucks' young guns will either back down or rise to the challenge.
The New York Rangers plan to carry two goaltenders on the active roster for the 2020-21 season, general manager Jeff Gorton revealed to the media on Tuesday, according to Newsday's Colin Stephenson.
The Rangers had three goaltenders on their NHL roster for majority of the 2019-20 season; Henrik Lundqvist, Alexandar Georgiev, and Igor Shesterkin. Georgiev started 32 games, Lundqvist started 26, and Shesterkin started 12.
Team president John Davidson said that he's already spoken to Lundqvist following the team's elimination from the postseason, adding that the team will "handle things the right way."
The 38-year-old has spent the last 15 seasons backstopping the Rangers after New York selected him in the 2000 NHL Draft. Georgiev, 24, has been with the team since 2017-18, whileShesterkin, also 24, joined the team mid-season after spending the past six seasons in the KHL.
Lundqvist has one year left on his contract, which carries an average annual value of $8.5 million. Shesterkin's entry-level contract runs through the 2020-21 season, and Georgiev's expires this offseason.
After yet another early postseason exit, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford knows he has to make some changes.
"There is something wrong," Rutherford said, according to The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "Changes need to be made."
In regards to the team's coaching staff, Rutherford added: "We had a good regular season and dealt with adversity and got through that. You look at that and give credit in the right places. You also have to look at what happened here at the end of these last two seasons and there's a pattern here."
The Penguins were eliminated from the playoffs last week at the hands of the 12th-seeded Montreal Canadiens despite finishing the regular season as one of the league's top teams. Pittsburgh was swept by the New York Islanders in the opening round of last year's playoffs.
Despite the Penguins' lack of recent postseason success, Rutherford confirmed that he doesn't plan to make any changes to their aging core, which includes stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.
"I plan to move forward with the core. These are good players. They still have good hockey left in them," Rutherford said. "I always have to say, if some amazing trade comes along, you have to look at it, but I will not actively be looking at trying to trade our core players."
However, Rutherford acknowledged that he may not be able to keep his team's goaltending duo intact due to the flat salary cap. Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry are both set to become restricted free agents this offseason.
The Penguins currently have 11 impending free agents on their active roster.
Hamilton will take part in the team's warmup ahead of Game 1 before the team makes an official decision.
The 27-year-old didn't participate in the team's qualifying round series after suffering an undisclosed injury during Phase 3. Hamilton broke his fibula in January, but the current injury was reportedly not connected to it.
Before his injury during the 2019-20 season, Hamilton was among the best defencemen in the league. He racked up 14 goals and 26 assists in 46 games while averaging 23:17 minutes of ice time per game.
After sweeping the New York Rangers in the play-in round, the Hurricanes will kick off their series against the Bruins on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
This is the 14th edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for 2019-20 and the second since the announcement of the season restart. With the round of 16 about to begin, we've limited the rankings to the teams still competing.
In this edition, we'll look at each club's most impressive player since play resumed on Aug. 1.
1. Philadelphia Flyers
Previous rank: 6
Scott Laughton has continued to develop offensively after potting a career-high 13 regular-season goals. The 6-foot-1 forward led the Flyers with three goals and five points in round-robin play despite logging just over 14 minutes per contest.
2. Vegas Golden Knights
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: 8
The Golden Knights went 3-0-0 in round-robin action without Max Pacioretty, largely due to defenseman Shea Theodore's brilliant play. The 24-year-old rearguard recorded two goals and two assists while averaging 24:02 of ice time. He also led the club with 11 shots on goal and paced Vegas' blue-liners with a 62.37% Corsi For rate at five-on-five.
3. Colorado Avalanche
Previous rank: 3
Nathan MacKinnon hasn't shown any rust following the league's long hiatus. The Hart Trophy candidate notched three points in three games and led all forwards while averaging 22:17 of ice time per contest. MacKinnon also set the tone physically with six hits, and Colorado owned a 63.49% share of expected goals with the star forward on the ice at five-on-five.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning
Previous rank: 4
Brayden Point picked up the slack with Lightning captain Steven Stamkos out. The 23-year-old pivot shared the team lead with three points in three games, and he was dominant during faceoffs while winning 65.85% of his draws.
5. Boston Bruins
Previous rank: 1
The mighty Bruins are struggling to find their game since returning to action, dropping all three round-robin games while scoring only four goals. Two of those tallies came from 6-foot grinder Chris Wagner, who also led the team with 12 hits and played a penalty-kill role. The Bruins will be in fine form if they receive that type of depth play once their big guns get rolling.
6. Carolina Hurricanes
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: 10
With 23-year-old Sebastian Aho leading the attack, the Hurricanes' young stars were on full display in their sweep of the New York Rangers. Aho netted three goals, and he ranks second in postseason scoring with an impressive eight points in three games.
7. St. Louis Blues
Previous rank: 2
The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner is picking up where he left off last postseason. The Blues weren't at their best during the round robin, but Ryan O'Reilly was the team's offensive leader with three points, and he remains one of the league's best defensive forwards.
8. Washington Capitals
Previous rank: 7
The Capitals are counting on Braden Holtby to return to his old form this postseason. His regular season was lackluster, and backup Ilya Samsonov isn't with the team. However, Holtby looked sharp during the round robin, posting a .925 save percentage and a 1.98 goals-against average.
9. Dallas Stars
Previous rank: 9
Miro Heiskanen doesn't get enough attention despite being one of the league's best young defensemen. It's time to start recognizing the 21-year-old Finn as a future Norris Trophy candidate. He led the Stars offensively with four points in three games during the round robin while also playing big minutes and doing an excellent job limiting his opponents' chances.
10. Columbus Blue Jackets
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Previous rank: 15
If the Blue Jackets go on a deep run, it'll be because of their defense and goaltending. While Seth Jones and Zach Werenski were sensational at slowing down the high-powered Toronto Maple Leafs' attack, Joonas Korpisalo gets the nod here after posting a .956 save percentage and a qualifying-round best 4.43 goals saved above average over four games.
11. New York Islanders
Previous rank: 13
Semyon Varlamov helped provide stability for the Islanders while sharing the crease with Thomas Greiss during the regular season, and the Russian goaltender was the biggest reason New York dispatched the Florida Panthers in four games during the qualifying round. Varlamov allowed only seven goals throughout the series while authoring a .932 save percentage.
12. Vancouver Canucks
Previous rank: 17
Jacob Markstrom was solid in net for the Canucks over four games as they eliminated the Minnesota Wild, but Quinn Hughes has been Vancouver's best player since the restart. The 20-year-old Calder Trophy finalist led his club with five assists and six points in the series while averaging a team-leading over 24 minutes of ice time per game.
13. Calgary Flames
Previous rank: 19
There was some debate about who should start Game 1 for the Flames against the Winnipeg Jets, but there's no doubt who should occupy Calgary's crease now. Cam Talbot was excellent in the qualifying round, surrendering only six goals over four games while posting a .945 save percentage and helping to eliminate the Jets with a 31-save shutout in Game 4.
14. Montreal Canadiens
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Previous rank: 24
Speaking of netminders, the Canadiens needed their franchise player to excel if they wanted to shock the Pittsburgh Penguins, and that's exactly what happened. Carey Price finished the series with a .947 save percentage, shutting out his dynamic opposition in the Game 4 clincher and allowing two-plus goals only once over the three previous contests.
15. Arizona Coyotes
Previous rank: 22
The Coyotes managed to squeeze past the Nashville Predators despite being outplayed all series. They moved on largely thanks to Darcy Kuemper and his dazzling .933 save percentage.
16. Chicago Blackhawks
Previous rank: 23
Jonathan Toews is playing like a man on a mission this postseason. "Captain Serious" has been disproving doubters throughout the 2019-20 campaign, and the Blackhawks' leader remains the club's best player since play resumed. He helped Chicago upset the Edmonton Oilers with a team-leading four goals and seven points over four games.
