The 34-year-old went down in a heap after he appeared to take a Trevor Daley shot to the neck. Further review showed it wasn't the shot that sent the netminder kicking in agony on the ice, but rather Staal's stick going through his mask.
Lundqvist remained in the game after receiving a few eye drops from the medical staff.
However, Antti Raanta started the second period, and Lundqvist wasn't on the Rangers' bench.
During a stoppage of play in the second, head coach Alain Vigneault said Lundqvist is day to day.
Kucherov used last year's postseason as a platform toward stardom. He scored 10 goals and 22 points in 26 games, helping lead the Bolts into the Stanley Cup Final.
Fleury was a game-time decision heading into Wednesday and had been the first goalie off the ice at team's morning skate, while Jarry was absent at the skate.
The 31-year-old Fleury has not played since March 31 after suffering his second concussion of the season.
"They think the game very similar. They play the game very similar. I think today's hockey has become very much north-south, but they're two guys who still like to play east to west. So when they're together, it might accentuate their positives a little better. The decision I always have to make is is that the right thing for the hockey team in its entirety? Right now, we've made the decision that it's the right thing to start here most likely in Game 1."
Both experienced forwards are mired in scoring slumps. Zetterberg, the Red Wings' captain, hasn't scored in his last 11 games and has a single marker in his last 24 contests. Datsyuk, Detroit's elder statesman, hasn't scored in his last 10 games.
Blashill says he sees signs that Zetterberg is on the verge of breaking out of his drought.
"When I went back over the last 20 games, his scoring chances have been very good. He hasn't really dropped off that much from the previous 20 games prior to that or really throughout the season. You're always going to have a little ebb and flow on that.
I see him still playing at a high level. He's got tons of responsibility. He's had to play against a lot of the other teams' best players, which is not an easy task. I just think if he keeps playing the same game, the production will come."
A glimpse at the analytics confirms reuniting the veteran pair is a smart move.
The line of Datsyuk, Justin Abdelkader, and Zetterberg drove possession better than all other Red Wings combinations this season, with a 57.88 even-strength Corsi For percentage, according to Corsica Hockey.
Zetterberg spent most of his regular-season minutes alongside Abdelkader and Dylan Larkin, while Datsyuk played more time with Brad Richards and Darren Helm, but neither player was as productive with those groups from a possession standpoint.
On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, continues with predictions for each of the eight first-round playoff series, three of which begin Wednesday.
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
And theScore's NHL editors are ready for what will be an exciting two months - and an especially exciting two weeks. There's nothing better than the first round. Here are our predictions.
Western Conference
Stars vs. Wild
Editor
Pick
Cuthbert
Stars
Gold-Smith
Stars
Hagerman
Wild
McLaren
Stars
O'Leary
Stars
Vaswani
Stars
Whyte
Stars
Total: 6-1 Stars
Only one pick for the Wild against a Dallas team with defensive issues. If Minnesota's able to pull this off without Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek, it would be one of the more monumental upsets in NHL playoff history.
Blues vs. Blackhawks
Editor
Pick
Cuthbert
Blues
Gold-Smith
Blues
Hagerman
Blackhawks
McLaren
Blues
O'Leary
Blackhawks
Vaswani
Blues
Whyte
Blues
Total: 5-2 Blues
We're surprisingly in favor of the St. Louis Blues. Since 2013, the Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup every two years - and that means they're going home. At least, that's the consensus among some of the most brilliant hockey minds of our time.
Ducks vs. Predators
Editor
Pick
Cuthbert
Predators
Gold-Smith
Ducks
Hagerman
Ducks
McLaren
Ducks
O'Leary
Ducks
Vaswani
Ducks
Whyte
Ducks
Total: 6-1 Ducks
The Nashville Predators need a miracle against the high-flying Anaheim Ducks, and only one of us thinks they can pull it off. Godspeed, Pekka Rinne.
Kings vs. Sharks
Editor
Pick
Cuthbert
Kings
Gold-Smith
Kings
Hagerman
Kings
McLaren
Sharks
O'Leary
Kings
Vaswani
Sharks
Whyte
Kings
Total: 5-2 Kings
In the battle of California, the Los Angeles Kings are the consensus pick, but a couple of us are rooting for Joe Thornton's beard. Since 2012, the Kings have won the Cup every two years. If history is our guide, it's their year.
Eastern Conference
Capitals vs. Flyers
Editor
Pick
Cuthbert
Capitals
Gold-Smith
Capitals
Hagerman
Capitals
McLaren
Capitals
O'Leary
Capitals
Vaswani
Flyers
Whyte
Capitals
Total: 6-1 Capitals
The presidential Capitals are the sexy pick. Clearly. This will be one of the more interesting series of the first round, considering how early the Capitals locked up the No. 1 seed. The Flyers will be emotionally charged, too, after the death of owner Ed Snider.
Panthers vs. Islanders
Editor
Pick
Cuthbert
Panthers
Gold-Smith
Panthers
Hagerman
Panthers
McLaren
Panthers
O'Leary
Islanders
Vaswani
Panthers
Whyte
Islanders
Total: 5-2 Panthers
Jaromir Jagr's back in the playoffs for the first time since 2013. We clearly don't want to see him go home after only one round. As for the Islanders, if they're dispatched by Florida, it will be their third first-round exit under Jack Capuano. Strike three.
Penguins vs. Rangers
Editor
Pick
Cuthbert
Penguins
Gold-Smith
Penguins
Hagerman
Penguins
McLaren
Penguins
O'Leary
Penguins
Vaswani
Penguins
Whyte
Penguins
Total: 7-0 Penguins
We believe the Rangers' competitive window is about to slam rudely shut in New York's face.
Lightning vs. Red Wings
Editor
Pick
Cuthbert
Lightning
Gold-Smith
Lightning
Hagerman
Lightning
McLaren
Lightning
O'Leary
Red Wings
Vaswani
Red Wings
Whyte
Red Wings
Total: 4-3 Lightning
We believe this will be the closest series of the first round, and Pavel Datsyuk will provide some magic, but the Tampa Bay Lightning will prevail, even without Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman. They've got a sizable advantage in goal, and so much of the playoffs comes down to the men in the crease.
The San Jose Sharks are back in the Stanley Cup playoffs after a one-year hiatus, and have their sights set on shaking off the ghost of the great 2014 collapse.
That year, of course, they blew a 3-0 first-round series lead to the Los Angeles Kings, whom they're matched up against this time around.
San Jose took the regular-season series with a record of 3-1-1, but will that success carry over to the postseason?
Here's what you need to know before the puck drops:
Tale of the tape
Kings
Statistic
Sharks
102
Points
98
2.72 (14th)
Goals per game
2.89 (4th)
2.34 (5th)
Goals against
2.52 (11th)
20% (8th)
Power play
22.5% (3rd)
81.4% (15th)
Penalty kill
80.5% (21st)
56.4% (1st)
Corsi
51.7% (8th)
6.8% (25th)
5-on-5 SH%
7.7% (12th)
92.9% (9th)
5-on-5 SV%
92.3% (20th)
Kopitar: 74
Leading scorer
Thornton: 82
Key players
Joe Thornton
While Jaromir Jagr continues to amaze with his longevity, 37-year-old Joe Thornton remains at the top of his game, emerging as a dark horse Hart Trophy candidate for the Sharks this season.
Thornton recorded 19 goals and 63 assists in all 82 games, finishing in a tie for fourth in NHL scoring with Ottawa's Erik Karlsson, and three points behind the defenseman for the league lead in assists.
Jettisoned as team captain following the dramatic collapse of 2014 in favor of Joe Pavelski, who began donning the "C" this season, Thornton remains in many ways the chum that stirs the waters for these Sharks.
Don't believe the narrative that Thornton doesn't bring it in the postseason, either. He ranks 13th among all active NHL players in career playoff points with 100 through 132 games.
Drew Doughty
For some, the Los Angeles defenseman put himself in position to unseat Karlsson as the Norris Trophy winner this year. While the playoffs bear no weight in terms of voting on the award, it's here that Drew Doughty can demonstrate his impact to a wider audience.
Doughty didn't blow anyone away offensively this season, scoring 14 goals and adding 37 assists, which is eight points off his career high set in 2009-10. Among players at his position with at least 1,000 minutes played, however, he ranked first with a Corsi rating of 58.9 during five-on-five play. Only teammates Tyler Toffoli (59.4) and Milan Lucic (59.3) boasted better numbers.
He also posted the best single-season on-ice shot attempt differential of the past decade.
In short, Doughty drives possession and is a force at his own end. Shutting down the Sharks begins with him.
Martin Jones and James Reimer
Not always a position of strength for the Sharks, head coach Pete DeBoer now has a luxury - or rather a difficult decision to make - in a 1A-1B situation heading into the playoffs.
General manager Doug Wilson sent a first-round pick to Boston to secure Martin Jones' rights, and the gamble has paid off.
Jones: 65 GP, 37-23-4, .918 SV%, six shutouts
As added insurance, Wilson traded for James Reimer prior to the deadline. The former Maple Leaf has been lights out since arriving in San Jose.
Reimer: 8 GP, 6-2-0, .938 SV%, three shutouts
Jones will start Game 1, while Reimer will be ready and able if called upon. The Sharks will need either to be at the top of their games to match Jonathan Quick, who's been the star of this dance before, at the other end of the ice.
While his Tampa Bay Lightning prepare for Game 1 of a first-round series against Detroit, the captain remains in hospital following vascular surgery to fix a blood clot.
Alex Killorn, one of several players to visit Stamkos on Monday, was told to help get the team as far as possible so as to leave the door open for a late-playoff return.
"You can tell he wants to be there (on the ice)," Killorn told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "In the case he could come back, he really wants to make sure we go back to the final to give him a chance to play again this season. That was kind of his message, 'Just go to the finals and maybe I'll see you guys.'"
Stamkos was given a timeline of one-to-three months, meaning it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Without him and Anton Stralman in the lineup, however, the task of repeating as Eastern Conference champions won't be an easy one.
With no Canadian teams in the playoffs, some of the attention will shift to players who used to play up north and were moved for a variety of reasons. A few of those players will get to show their former teams what they missed - or prove that trading them was the right call.
There are 22 players in this season's playoffs who ended last season on a Canadian team.
Here are some of the most notable.
Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins
All seemed right in the world for Kessel when he inked an eight-year, $64-million contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. Kessel was Toronto's scoring leader for six seasons, and one of the more consistent goal-scorers in the league. But Toronto only had a single playoff performance to show with Kessel in the lineup. He performed well, scoring four goals and six points in a now infamous seven-game series loss.
When Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford pulled the trigger on July 1 to get Kessel, it wasn't a move designed to get his team into the playoffs, but to provide more scoring throughout the lineup. The Penguins needed Kessel's offensive prowess to help stop a string of early spring exits. With 21 points in 22 career playoff games, and Pittsburgh's first-round pick in 2016 now Toronto's, we're about to find out if the Pens' gamble paid off.
Andrew Ladd, Chicago Blackhawks
Acquired only days before the trade deadline from Winnipeg, Ladd never wanted to leave the Jets. But unable to agree to terms with its captain, and having already signed other players to massive extensions, Winnipeg felt it necessary to get some assets in return before Ladd hit unrestricted free agency.
Ladd's fit in well and should continue to do so on a team he won a Stanley Cup with in 2010. He had eight goals and 12 points in 19 games with the Blackhawks, and having recently turned 30, he's looking to win his third Cup ring.
This being Florida's first trip to the playoffs in four seasons, both players bring experience - 99 combined postseason games - and will be expected to help settle some of the younger players' nerves. Hudler has 41 points in 77 career playoff games, while Purcell comes in with seven goals and 18 points in 22 spring games.
James Reimer, San Jose Sharks
It's been established that Martin Jones will start Game 1 of the playoffs for the Sharks, but don't be surprised if you see Reimer at some point. Acquired before the trade deadline from Toronto, Reimer has been nothing short of superb in his brief tenure out west, with a 6-2 record, a .938 save percentage, and a 1.62 goals-against average. He also has something Jones doesn't have - playoff experience.
Here are a few other noteworthy players taking part in the postseason who were recently playing for Canadian teams:
Nick Bonino, traded from Canucks to Penguins
Tomas Fleischmann, traded from Canadiens to Blackhawks
Roman Polak, traded from Maple Leafs to Sharks
Shane Prince, traded from Senators to Islanders
Kris Russell, traded from Flames to Stars
Dale Weise, traded from Canadiens to Blackhawks
Daniel Winnik, traded from Maple Leafs to Capitals
The Detroit Red Wings confirmed Wednesday afternoon what many expected: Howard will start Game 1 of the club's first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night.
The series is a rematch of last year's first-round matchup, the difference being Petr Mrazek was in goal for the Red Wings. Tampa Bay won in seven games, so Detroit's turning to Howard, who was the starter down the stretch, as the Red Wings needed Game 82 to clinch a playoff berth - their 25th straight.
Howard had a disappointing season, which he spent most of as Mrazek's backup. But that all means nothing now. The playoffs are a new season, and represent a chance at redemption. Howard has a career .919 save percentage and three shutouts in 46 career postseason games.
Detroit went 2-1 against the Lightning with Howard in the crease this season, the goaltender stopping 92.5 percent of the Tampa Bay shots he faced.
