The Tampa Bay Lightning may have suffered a major blow despite earning a dramatic victory over the New York Islanders in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday night.Brayden Point left the contest early in the second period and didn't return. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said postgame that he didn't have an update on the 24-year-old's condition, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith.Point entered Game 2 leading all NHL players still competing with 23 points this postseason.Tampa Bay prevailed 2-1 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 series lead thanks to Nikita Kucherov's winner with 8.8 seconds remaining. The Lightning finished the contest with only nine forwards following Point's injury and Alex Killorn's ejection for boarding Islanders forward Brock Nelson.The Lightning are already playing without injured captain Steven Stamkos. The superstar center hasn't suited up for a game since Feb. 25.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Alex Killorn received a five-minute boarding major and was ejected from Game 2 for his dangerous hit on Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders.

Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top bench boss for 2019-20, the league announced Wednesday.John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Alain Vigneault of the Philadelphia Flyers were the other finalists.Cassidy claims the honor for the first time after guiding the Bruins to the NHL's best regular-season record (44-14-12). Boston finished eight points ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Lightning in the same number of games played.Here's how the voting broke down: (Courtesy: NHL)The NHL Broadcasters' Association votes annually on the Jack Adams Award to anoint the coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."Cassidy was a finalist for the second time in three years after finishing second to then-Vegas Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant in 2017-18.Tortorella was seeking to claim the award for the third time, which would have tied him with the late Pat Burns for the most ever. The Blue Jackets bench boss helped his team exceed expectations after several key players left the club in free agency last offseason.Vigneault led the Flyers to a surprising run in the second half of this campaign, and Philadelphia unexpectedly finished with the NHL's sixth-best record.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pierre McGuire will not be the Arizona Coyotes' next general manager.The NBC broadcaster is no longer a candidate for the position, a league source told NHL Network's Craig Morgan on Wednesday.It was reported Saturday that McGuire had spoken with the team about the job.McGuire has been a full-time analyst with NBC since 2011 and a broadcaster since 1997. He has coaching, scouting, and front-office experience, but he also carries baggage.NBC temporarily demoted McGuire last fall after he had a series of awkward on-air exchanges with fellow broadcaster Kendall Coyne Schofield in January 2019.After the Hartford Whalers fired McGuire following his brief tenure as their head coach in 1994, team captain Pat Verbeek called it the best thing that could have happened to the club. Verbeek also revealed that other teams mocked McGuire, and that his teammates had no respect for the then-32-year-old bench boss.The Coyotes have reportedly interviewed several other candidates, including former Arizona goaltender, coach, and executive Sean Burke, and Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM Jason Karmanos. However, interim GM Steve Sullivan has apparently made calls with other clubs about possible trades while the Coyotes were looking into hiring his potential replacement.Arizona's previous GM, John Chayka, terminated his contract in July, prompting the club to accuse him of quitting on the organization ahead of the postseason.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said in August that there's a "very, very good chance" he trades one of his team's netminders, and on Wednesday, reports shined a light on who that goalie may be.Rutherford has very little interest in moving Tristan Jarry, sources told The Athletic's Josh Yohe. As a result, numerous people in the Penguins organization believe Matt Murray will be the odd man out, according to Yohe.Murray backed the Penguins to two Stanley Cups but he struggled to the tune of a .899 save percentage and a 2.87 goals-against average in 2019-20. He started the first three contests in Pittsburgh's four-game qualifying-round loss against the Montreal Canadiens and sported a .914 save percentage.Jarry was unproven prior to the 2019-20 campaign but he put together a .921 save percentage in 33 games this season. He stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced in his lone playoff start in Game 4 against Montreal.Murray, 26, and Jarry, 25, are both pending restricted free agents.Yohe also reported that the Penguins are willing to move forwards Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad.Rutherford has been busy since his squad was eliminated, as he acquired Kasperi Kapanen from the Toronto Maple Leafs in August.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning's Julien BriseBois, New York Islanders' Lou Lamoriello, and Dallas Stars' Jim Nill are the finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, the NHL announced on Wednesday.NHL general managers and a panel of league executives and media voted for the award upon the conclusion of the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The winner will be announced on Saturday.The Lightning reached the Eastern Conference Final this campaign after recording a historic 62-win regular season last year. BriseBois brought in the likes of Patrick Maroon, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Luke Schenn and signed cornerstone players Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy to long-term deals during the offseason. He also acquired depth forwards Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow prior to the 2020 trade deadline.New York has had tremendous success in Lamoriello's first two seasons with the team. The Islanders reached the conference finals this season after advancing to the second round last year. Lamoriello hired head coach Barry Trotz - who had just won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals - shortly after his own hiring.Lamoriello inked free agents Semyon Varlamov and Derick Brassard this past offseason and handed out extensions to Anders Lee, Anthony Beauvillier, Jordan Eberle, and Brock Nelson. He made a big splash prior to the trade deadline by bringing in Jean-Gabriel Pageau and immediately signing him to a six-year extension.Nill's Stars reached the Western Conference Final this season for the first time since 2008 and have steadily increased their points percentage over the last few years. He signed veteran forwards Corey Perry and Joe Pavelski last summer, as well as defenseman Andrej Sekera. This is his second nomination for the award.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Four teams remain in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, and the storylines that contextualize those clubs' pathways through the NHL bubbles are plentiful.The two secure zones have kept COVID-19 at bay, with no positive tests reported since teams gathered in Edmonton and Toronto six weeks ago. Now the Golden Knights and Stars are squaring off for the Western Conference title, while the Lightning and Islanders have joined them at Rogers Place to determine the Eastern Conference finalist.Here's a rundown of six league-wide trends catching our attention this postseason.Chaos has reigned Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesCounting the play-in and seeding stages, the events so far have made this much clear: Whichever club captures the Cup will deserve the honor not only for withstanding the mental strain of the bubble, but for also emerging triumphant from such a chaotic tournament.Let's recap the weirdness chronologically. The unique format enabled each conference's lowest-ranked team, the Canadiens and Blackhawks, to qualify for the first round after seismic upsets - Montreal of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the Penguins, and Chicago of Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and the Oilers. Both of those upstarts won on the first night of games. The second night featured Nazem Kadri winning the Avalanche-Blues seeding-round game from the foot of the crease at the last possible tenth of a second.Only one play-in series went the distance, but that matchup was plenty hectic. Columbus and Toronto combined for three shutouts and two overtime games in which the losing side blew a 3-0 lead - the Blue Jackets in the last four minutes of what could have been a series-clinching Game 4 victory. They turned the tables on Toronto in Game 5, then immediately played the fourth-longest playoff game ever, a five-OT slog against the Lightning that set individual save and time-on-ice records.No best-of-seven has concluded in a sweep so far, which is rare, and for a time it appeared this would be the first postseason of the salary-cap era to feature no Game 7s in Rounds 1 or 2. Instead, the Islanders, Stars, and Golden Knights blew 3-1 series leads concurrently before averting collapses in Game 7s, one of which was played as the second of back-to-back contests. Vegas-Vancouver advanced that far because Canucks backup goalie Thatcher Demko denied 123 of 125 shots over his first three starts since March.Colorado's Game 7 defeat to Dallas was the only playoff contest in which Nathan MacKinnon didn't record a point. Meanwhile, there were zero points to Andrej Sekera's name before he assisted on Joel Kiviranta's OT winner - the finishing touch on the NHL's first Game 7 hat trick since Wayne Gretzky did it in 1993. Decent company for the Finnish rookie, who grabbed the spotlight in only his third game in the bubble.And Tampa just dropped eight goals on the typically airtight Islanders, the most in a conference-final game since 1992. What twists and turns lay ahead? - Nick FarisDefensive teams are winning, and scoring Mark Blinch / NHL / Getty ImagesHeading into this unprecedented restart, many, including us, wondered what the on-ice product would look like and which types of players and teams would shine after nearly five months off.You could talk yourself into the highly-skilled, star-driven squads - such as the Penguins and Maple Leafs - plowing through the competition since talent doesn't suddenly get rusty. You could also make the case for structured and disciplined teams - like the Coyotes or Blues - thriving in chaotic times.Well, a few days into Round 3, the Stars and Islanders - two of the best defensive clubs in hockey, playing under Rick Bowness and Barry Trotz, respectively - are among the four squads still standing in a 24-team tournament. Supporters of the old adage "defense wins championships" can gloat.Dallas, which trailed only the Bruins in regular-season defense, is exceptional at forcing opponents to shoot from the perimeter. New York, which ranked ninth, suffocates and frustrates the opposition with its tireless forechecking and backchecking. Both clubs crowd the front of the net to block shooting lanes, doing a tremendous job of insulating the goalie. And when pucks manage to squeak through all the bodies, rebounds are swept away.(Side note: The Golden Knights and Lightning are strong defensively, too. But, in terms of playing style and team identity, both are under the "well-rounded, surefire Cup contender" label, and not in the "defense-first, fringe Cup contender" category.)Interestingly, an unrelenting attack is propelling the Islanders and Stars to great heights since the restart (Game 1 of New York's series against Tampa Bay notwithstanding). The Islanders have bagged 3.3 goals per game (about half-a-goal better than their regular-season average) while scoring four-plus goals seven times in 17 playoff games. Dallas, meanwhile, has notched 3.0 tallies per game (also about half-a-goal better than the regular season), while scoring four-plus goals eight times in 18 contests.In a league obsessed with flash and dash, a pair of blue-collar teams are excelling. - John MatiszDepth has eclipsed star power Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesWhen the Avalanche, Canucks, and Bruins were eliminated, it meant that 22 of the league's top 25 regular-season scorers would be excluded from the conference finals. A 23rd player, Steven Stamkos, might miss the whole postseason because of injury.Apart from Max Pacioretty, the only such stud who's healthy is Nikita Kucherov, a fitting exception given that the Lightning are the lone finalist who really buck this trend. Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy are terrific players who drive Tampa's success. Though the prowess of Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, and Miko Heiskanen is undeniable, the Golden Knights, the Stars, and, certainly, the Islanders have won on the strength of collective contributions.This phenomenon cuts two ways. On one hand, consider the reams of household names and perennial all-stars whose teams exited the playoffs early.Crosby, Malkin, Draisaitl, McDavid, Artemi Panarin, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Jonathan Huberdeau, Roman Josi, and Connor Hellebuyck didn't make it out of the qualifying round. Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson, Carey Price, Sebastian Aho, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Ryan O'Reilly were gone before Round 2. The most recent eliminations included the David Pastrnak-Patrice Bergeron-Brad Marchand trio, Vancouver young guns Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, fellow Calder Trophy favorite Cale Makar, and MacKinnon, who still tops the playoffs in scoring.In their stead, unlikely names have shot up the goals leaderboard. Bo Horvat continues to lead the NHL with 10 markers in his 17 games. Kadri left the bubble with nine. Denis Gurianov and Joe Pavelski pace Dallas with eight apiece. Alex Tuch's eight are the most for Vegas. Anthony Beauvillier, Brock Nelson, Anders Lee, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau have each registered at least seven for the Isles.For all but Pavelski and Pageau, these totals are significant career playoff highs that are benefitting their clubs greatly. - FarisGoalies, goalies, goalies Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty ImagesA piece of trivia to impress your hockey-loving friends: Tampa Bay is the only conference-final team to have used just one goalie during its 2020 playoff run.Vasilevskiy's dominance in the Lightning's net is not without precedent, but it runs counter to what's unfolded elsewhere. Stars backup Anton Khudobin has already appeared in 16 games, filling in for Ben Bishop, who has been unfit to play for the majority of the tournament. The Islanders, meanwhile, have rotated between Semyon Varlamov (15 games) and Thomas Greiss (four games, including Game 1 of the Eastern final). And, of course, Robin Lehner has started 13 of 17 Golden Knights games, a controversial development that's relegated future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury mostly to backup duties.The abundance of back-to-back games, several No. 1 and No. 2 options sidelined for various reasons, and Boston's star netminder Tuukka Rask leaving the bubble in the middle of a series combined to create some unexpected goaltending storylines.In the 2019 playoffs, five of the final eight teams used two goalies, while the other three used one. This time around, four of the final eight teams have used two goalies, but three teams have used three. That's five extra playoff goalies in 2020, and there's still plenty of hockey left.Goalie depth was really put to the test in the Western Conference's two second-round series, as 30-year-old journeymen Pavel Francouz and Michael Hutchinson started six of seven games for Colorado, and Demko almost single-handedly took Vancouver to the conference finals after Jacob Markstrom was ruled unfit to play.Given all of this, perhaps Vasilevskiy should be garnering Conn Smythe Trophy buzz. - MatiszNo rest for the wicked Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesIn the lead-up to Aug. 1, the first day of meaningful NHL games during the restart, there was this notion that some teams were playing with house money, and that decision-makers within certain front offices couldn't possibly take the results from this postseason at face value.There had been a long layoff, and the postseason now featured 24 teams involved with this weird qualifying round. Some assumed the reality of participating in a pandemic postseason would reduce the typical offseason fallout.Yet the last few weeks have proved the opposite. Teams were in fact taking the results very seriously.Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford didn't brush off his team's poor showing in Toronto, which ended after a 3-1 series loss to the Canadiens. He fired three assistant coaches and then acquired Kasperi Kapanen in a seven-piece blockbuster with the Maple Leafs.Washington fired head coach Todd Reirden after the Islanders dismantled the Capitals in five first-round games. The Caps had captured the Metropolitan Division title before the hiatus, yet they never seemed to find their groove in the bubble. GM Brian MacLellan clearly thought Reirden was at least partially responsible.The Panthers pulled the plug on Dale Tallon's decade-long reign as GM following Florida's unceremonious exit. A four-game series loss to the Islanders, in which the Panthers scored seven goals, was apparently the last straw for ownership. Tallon may have been on a short leash coming out of the hiatus, but the disappointing result prompted a shake-up.It'll be fascinating to watch the Bowness situation unfold in Dallas. Promoted from assistant coach to head coach last December, Bowness is still working under an interim tag. It's possible Stars GM Jim Nill is simply waiting for the end of the postseason to negotiate a proper deal. However, there's still a chance Bowness isn't brought back for 2020-21, despite the team's success since the restart. - MatiszQuick hits Elsa / Getty ImagesHere are a few statistical nuggets of note.

Despite pulling Anton Khudobin for the final 20 minutes of the Dallas Stars' 3-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night, Rick Bowness says his veteran goaltender isn't at fault for the defeat."Oh gosh, not at all," the Stars head coach told the assembled media, including Fox Sports Southwest, postgame. "We (gave him) a breather.""Anton was the only reason it was 3-0," Bowness added. "Without Anton, (it's) 6-0 after the second period."The Golden Knights outshot the Stars 27-12 through two periods, including a 19-7 edge in the middle stanza.Khudobin stopped 24 of those 27 shots, but Bowness gave him the rest of the night off with Dallas trailing 3-0 in the second intermission. Jake Oettinger made his NHL debut in relief, recording five saves on as many shots over the final 20 minutes.The Stars have ridden Khudobin in these playoffs. Including Tuesday's game, the 34-year-old has played 16 of Dallas' 18 postseason contests, starting 15 of them. He was 9-5 with a .914 save percentage in the 2019-20 playoffs entering Game 2.Golden Knights netminder Robin Lehner made 24 saves for his second straight shutout and the fourth clean sheet in his last seven games.Game 3 of the series - which is now tied at one win apiece - is scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger saw his first official NHL action Tuesday night, entering Game 2 of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights for the start of the third period.The rookie relieved Anton Khudobin, who allowed three goals on 27 shots over the opening 40 minutes. The Stars trailed the Golden Knights 3-0 after two periods, and Vegas held on to win by the same score.Oettinger became the first netminder in 55 years and the only puck-stopper since the start of the expansion era in 1967-68 to make his NHL debut in the round preceding the Stanley Cup Final.The Boston University alumnus played 38 games for the AHL's Texas Stars during the 2019-20 season, leading all AHL rookies with a .917 save percentage. Dallas drafted the 21-year-old 26th overall in 2017.Including Game 2, Khudobin has played 16 of the NHL club's 18 postseason contests in 2020, starting 15.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

On Aug. 3, the third day of the 2020 NHL playoffs, a thunderstorm ripped through Edmonton, one of two cities playing host to the bubbled postseason.Among the damage was a section of fencing near the Sutton Place, the high-end hotel housing half of the Western Conference playoff teams. Since a downed piece of infrastructure could potentially threaten the integrity of the Edmonton operation, security personnel quickly formed a human fence to stop any intruders. Not long after, the crisis was averted as new fencing was installed. Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagesThese are the types of problems Steve Mayer, the NHL's chief content officer, is tackling. Somehow, with the Toronto bubble disassembled and the conference finals underway inside Edmonton's Rogers Place, there still hasn't been a single positive case of COVID-19 reported by the NHL following six weeks of frantic activity in both places."It's a mini miracle that we've had no positive tests. Sorry, but it is," Mayer said in a phone interview late last week.Hired in 2016, Mayer is the NHL's point man for two essential areas of the restart: the development and maintenance of the bubbles, and game presentation. He's also an executive producer for the ESPN+/YouTube docuseries "Quest For The Stanley Cup." It's not a stretch to suggest Mayer - whose last name is appropriately pronounced "mayor" - is on the short list of most influential (and busiest) people involved in the 24-team tournament."You know what, I'll sleep in October after the draft. We'll find some time then. You're running on fumes and adrenaline," Mayer joked from Edmonton, where he's been stationed with his team since the middle of July.theScore chatted with Mayer about what's unfolded behind the scenes during the restart. Below is an abridged version of that conversation. Eliot J. Schechter / Getty ImagestheScore: You're a seasoned vet in the sports and entertainment business. You've seen just about everything over your career. I'm wondering, what has surprised you about this totally unique, unprecedented experience?Mayer: I never understood how confining this could be. Listen, we all knew we were going to be in a bubble. But when you're in one place for this amount of time, where you can go left, you can go right, but you can't go backwards and forwards, it's tough for everyone.We've been trying to add things, whether it's something simple like changing a menu or adding a new activity to an outdoor area. We're constantly trying to come up with what, from an experiential standpoint, is going to feel different.I don't think much surprised me. I felt like we were pretty well prepared and understood what setting up a bubble meant and how it might be perceived. I say this a lot, and I truly mean it: I was nervous that we would set this up and the teams and players - who are used to luxury and going on the road and going to a hotel and owning that hotel and having things at their beck and call - would be tough (to win over), that they're going to be a tough critic.(But) the No. 1 thing I hear on a daily basis is, 'This is so much better than I thought it would be, thanks.' And so, expectations, for one reason or another, weren't that high. And I think we have done a good job of getting it to the point for everybody where it's a liveable bubble. There's a lot of options. If you were in the greatest resort in the world for this long of time, yeah, it would get to you after a while. Andre Ringuette / Getty ImagestheScore: Is there anything that's been introduced during the restart - the way the game is being presented on TV, the logistics behind the scenes, anything of that nature - that the league could possibly carry over to "normal times" when we're back to the regular flow, look, and feel of the NHL?Mayer: There are camera angles that are subtle but really effective.We changed little things that a lot of people might not know but in some ways, in your mind, you'll understand it's better. We've changed the tone of the music. We've gone from classic rock to pop and hip hop a little more.Some of the ways we're highlighting our stars (is another transferable element) … When Bo Horvat has a giant picture of himself and his name in lights, that goes a long way in developing star players. Those are things that I think we will push when we come back to fans. How do we keep that momentum going and that presentation going in some form, even in arenas that are filled? Mark Blinch / Getty ImagestheScore: Why do you think it took the bubble environment for that to happen? Was it simply a matter of wanting to fill those giant sideline screens with something? What was the train of thought in pumping up the stars more?Mayer: We've heard the criticism. We have a sport that's team over individual. We looked at this as an opportunity since the focus is so on the players, on the games, where we could highlight the guys on that ice and really start to develop these star players. That was one vehicle we knew would be effective.We're a very local, regional sport in many ways, and we want people in New York to tune into Vegas-Vancouver because they now know all of the players, they're familiar with the guys, they know the names, and they want to watch Vancouver with Horvat and (Quinn) Hughes and (Elias) Pettersson. That's the goal.We've found this was an amazing opportunity, given how many games we were playing in such a short period of time and how we were presenting the game as a television show and not as a fan-facing, in-arena event. We had this wonderful opportunity to build stars, so it is something we've focused on heavily from Day 1 of this tournament. We think it's going well and we think that certain players have emerged as the next wave of stars in the NHL and we're hoping we're just beginning the promotion of those players. Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagestheScore: On the flip side, what's something you and your team won't be doing ever again? Maybe something you didn't quite hit out of the park and are looking forward to retiring after this postseason wraps?Mayer: No more bubbles! I don't want to do a bubble again! I'm done with bubbles! Ah, no, I'm joking. Well, we may have to do a bubble again, who knows …Would I have liked to have been able to get people out of the (secure zones) we're in and outside to do things that are unique but controlled? (Yes), I'd like to do that a little more. It's been very, very difficult to get approvals. Because things are going so well, we've been very averse to risk, and so have the governments in Alberta and Ontario.We get beat up by players a bit, (who say), 'I want to play golf, I want to do this.' And it's just been very, very difficult to get approvals … I'm just trying to think out loud. The players want movies, for instance, and we had a real movie theater in Toronto but we didn't have one in Edmonton. Would I make sure we did it the next time around? Sure.And these are things we just didn't realize. We had a player committee that we engaged with in the days and the weeks leading up to here. But until you're in the bubble, you don't understand what the players want to do, what their interests are, what makes them happy, what makes them not happy.There are things that aren't perfect. They're not. At the same time, there isn't anything here where I'm like, 'Wow, that's embarrassing, we should never have done that.' I just think we could have expanded on certain things or added certain things if we had the right amount of time. Or, we could really have been a little more choicey - I don't even know if that's a word - on where we went. We went to the safest place, period, and we said we're going to make this work. Period.I truly believe this is the absolute, one-million-percent way that it should be done for all businesses, for schools. It works. We feel very safe. Every one of us here in the bubble, we're tested every day, we've followed protocol, we wear masks, we social distance, and no one complains. Everybody has bought in. Players, staff, coaches.At the end of the day, I think what we're most proud of - and we're not done, we have so much more to go, close to 30 days - is that we all see the end of the tunnel and we don't let up and everybody is in the same boat. Elsa / Getty ImagestheScore: The game operations crew has dropped a few jokes on the in-arena screens, thrown hats on the ice following a hat trick. How important has it been to break the tension, keep a sense of humor through all of this?Mayer: We are of the mindset that you can't always take it so seriously. You've got to have some fun with it. The 'Tonight's Attendance: 0' (on-screen joke) was the first one we did. I have to admit, many of them come from my crazy, dad-joke mind.One of the misconceptions of the NHL is that we're just too serious, the No Humor League. I say just the opposite. If you watch our awards show, if you watch a lot of the things that we've done over the course of the last few years, there are plenty of opportunities where we either poke fun at ourselves - like Chance The Rapper, Lazlo Holmes, did - or just have some fun. We're not afraid to do that and we think it's fine.We have about 10 more (jokes) lined up and ready to go, including noise meters, kiss cams, and 'This Date In NHL History' - obviously we've never played games at this time - to just have fun with all of this. So there's a time and a place, but we're really happy with the response. I think it leads to us having a lot more fun in the future with our content and our presentation and being OK with that. Andre Ringuette / Getty ImagestheScore: Given the tight schedule of putting this whole thing together, how much time and energy was spent on the little details? Say, the diagonal lines on the tarps that are covering the lower-bowl seats. Were the lines a big discussion within the NHL offices or was it a quick sign-off? How much did you care about that stuff?Mayer: To know how I operate and how our team operates is to know how detail-oriented we are. The difference between this (tournament) and, say, one of our outdoor games was the timeline. Talk about not sleeping. We worked around the clock. I have the best team in the entire world. We made quick decisions. We had to. There was no other choice.It was like, 'We're getting on a Zoom call. We're going to leave this call and this is what we're going to do.' We didn't have the luxury of going back and forth 10 times. I have to admit, we're pretty proud to have made some good decisions.With the seat covers, we understood clearly that we had to go to a neutral color so you could pick up the puck and the goalie wouldn't be (distracted). Knowing that, we knew that on television there needed to be something, those lines, that gave it a little more feeling, a little more depth so it wasn't just plain light blue or grey.Knowing we were going to come back in this environment (amid a pandemic and with no fans), I knew that I wanted to do something that was a television set. We were working on that for a while. It didn't matter where we went, we knew that was going to be the design. But all of these decisions, everything that we've done, we just made them quickly. We've trusted everybody on our team to lean on their experience and just go for it. We've been right more than we've been wrong, but I think the amount of experience we all have has led to being able to put this together as quickly as we have. Dave Sandford / Getty ImagestheScore: Lastly, it's my duty as a representative for hockey fans everywhere to follow up on an important matter: What's the latest on Gary Bettman getting the boo-bird treatment during the Stanley Cup trophy presentation?Mayer: There's been a lot that's happened over the past six months. A lot. I cannot say enough unbelievable things about our commissioner and what he's done and how he's led all of us to this position that we're in, where we're less than a month away from handing out the Cup. I actually believe - and this is me - public sentiment has gone from booing to potentially cheering. If there's ever a year to stop the booing, it could be this year, with all that's happened and the fact that we've come back and we're all safe. In a minor miracle, we're so close to getting to that position where he hands the Cup to the captain of the winning team.We have a sound effect (to pipe in through the speakers), we have a booing sound effect, we do. I hope we don't use it. But, if he wants to keep up the humor, hey, listen, we can play along. Right now, there are no plans to use it. In fact, you'll hear a lot of crying and emotion because when we get to that moment, I think that's where my team will become very emotional, for all that we've gone through and all of the sacrifices that they've made to be away from their families and how hard they've worked. That'll be a very emotional time for everyone here in the bubble.John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New Jersey Devils hired Hall of Famer Mark Recchi to serve as an assistant coach under new bench boss Lindy Ruff, the team announced Tuesday.For the past three seasons, Recchi was an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he was largely responsible for working with their power play. Over the past three seasons, the Penguins rank third in the league with a 23.8% success rate with the man advantage."We are extremely excited to add Mark to our coaching staff, where his experience as a player, coach, and in development will be invaluable," Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "His work with the power play and managing personnel in Pittsburgh are skills that will benefit our group moving forward. Mark's leadership, communication abilities, patience, and presence will be integral for the growth of our young core."Prior to Recchi's role as assistant coach in Pittsburgh, he served as the team's development coach for three seasons. He worked with Penguins prospects in the minors, juniors, and college.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL has moved the 2020 Draft ahead a couple of days, with the first round now scheduled for Oct. 6 and the remainder of the event taking place Oct. 7, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.In its return-to-play plan, the NHL had targeted Oct. 9 and 10 for the draft. The festivities were supposed to take place in Montreal in June, but the coronavirus pandemic pushed it back.Free agency, meanwhile, will now begin on Oct. 9, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers have loaned defensive prospect Evan Bouchard to Sodertalje SK of the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan for the start of the 2020-21 season, the team announced Tuesday.HockeyAllsvenskan is the second-highest league in Sweden. With no official start date for the next NHL season and the AHL beginning in early December, several teams are sending young players overseas to stay in game shape.The Oilers also loaned forward Gaetan Haas to SC Bern of the Swiss National League.Edmonton took Bouchard 10th overall in the 2018 draft. He played seven games with the club to start the corresponding season before being sent back to the OHL's London Knights.Bouchard racked up 36 points in 54 games for the AHL's Bakersfield Condors this past campaign.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.Round 3 started on a winning note, with the Stars (+150) coming through for us in Game 1.Let's keep the momentum going into Game 2 of the conference finals.Dallas Stars (+140) @ Vegas Golden Knights (-160)Not to be that guy, but what I wrote about this contest in my Game 1 preview rang very true Sunday night. I said the Golden Knights weren't scoring enough for all the offense they've been creating - most expected goals for in the playoffs - and that was a real concern against the Stars, who excel at suppressing offense. Vegas is the only Western Conference team with more expected goals than actual ones in the postseason, and if the Knights are going to win this series, they have to convert chances to goals at a much higher clip.Well, my prediction was essentially Game 1's script - the Knights only mustered up five high-danger scoring chances and 1.4 expected goals for. Both are new lows for them in these playoffs, with their previous lows being 10 and 2.29. This postseason, the Knights have averaged 13.4 high-danger chances and 3.36 expected goals for per 60 minutes, painting a clear picture of just how low the first game's totals are.Having come through back-to-back series against the defensively challenged Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks, the first game against a Dallas team capable of playing a suffocating defensive game was a reality check for Vegas. I'd expect a strong response from the Knights in Game 2, but this price is still too high for me to pass up.Pick: Stars (+140)New York Islanders (+160) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (-180)The Lightning remain my Stanley Cup favorite, but what happened in Game 1 against the Islanders was an anomaly. New York was coming off an emotional Game 7 win, while Tampa Bay had the chance to rest and focus.And it didn't help that the Islanders couldn't buy a save - Thomas Greiss let in three goals on nine shots before Semyon Varlamov allowed five on 25 in relief. That's basically how the Lightning scored eight goals, despite a mark of just 2.87 expected goals for. Oh, and the insane number of shots hitting the net didn't hurt, either.

Jon Cooper isn't expecting another blowout victory for his Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final."You've got to take advantage of a tired team," the head coach told the assembled media, including Fox Sports Florida, after the Lightning rolled to an 8-2 win over the New York Islanders in Game 1 on Monday. "Let's be honest. This is a one-off."New York eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 7 of its second-round series on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Lightning finished off the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of their matchup on Aug. 31.Lightning stars Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov both racked up five points in Tampa Bay's Game 1 win. Point scored twice, including a dazzling first-period marker, but he downplayed his squad's dominance postgame."Let's be honest, we got a lot of bounces tonight," Point said, according to Bryan Burns of the team's website. "Things went well for us. We can't hang our hat on that."Point may be on to something. Despite the six-goal margin, the possession and scoring-chance figures show the game was more evenly contested than it appeared.CategoryIslandersLightningExpected Goals For %48.2951.71

Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov notched five points apiece as the Tampa Bay Lightning demolished the New York Islanders 8-2 to open the Eastern Conference Final on Monday night.The superstar duo became the first two players in team history to register five points in a playoff game.Point produced two goals and three assists, while Kucherov collected a goal and four helpers.Yanni Gourde added a pair of markers for the Lightning, who also received goals from fellow forward Ondrej Palat and defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh.Jordan Eberle and Nick Leddy provided the lone tallies for the Islanders.Kucherov's goal moved him past Martin St. Louis as Tampa Bay's all-time playoff goals leader.McDonagh's marker chased New York's starting goaltender Thomas Greiss late in the first period. The German netminder allowed three goals on nine shots before Semyon Varlamov replaced him. Varlamov didn't fare much better, stopping 20 of the 25 shots he faced.Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 24 shots.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan has won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the 2019-20 season, the NHL announced Monday.The honor is bestowed annually upon the player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey," with the Professional Hockey Writers Association voting on the award. Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns and Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom were the other two finalists.Ryan left the Senators to enter the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in November. He rejoined the club in late February and notched a hat trick in his first home game following his return.The 33-year-old later revealed he had struggled with alcohol abuse.Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner won the Masterton Trophy last season while with the New York Islanders.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nashville Predators forward Mikael Granlund will be available as a free agent this offseason.“We will be seeing what the open market has to offer,” his representative, Todd Diamond, told The Athletic's Adam Vingan on Monday.When asked if Granlund has ruled out rejoining the Predators, Diamond declined to answer directly, instead reiterating that his client won't re-sign before free agency begins.Granlund will be one of the top free-agent forwards. The 28-year-old struggled after the Minnesota Wild traded him to Nashville in 2018-19, and he remained inconsistent at the start of this season.However, the Finnish veteran raised his game when the Predators hired John Hynes to replace Peter Laviolette as their head coach in January. Granlund posted only six goals and 14 points across the first 35 games of the campaign under Laviolette, but he led the club with 11 goals in the 28 regular-season contests following Hynes' hiring. His average ice time also rose from 16:45 to 19:07 after the coaching change.The Wild traded Granlund to the Predators for forward Kevin Fiala in February 2019. Granlund spent the first six seasons of his career with Minnesota, which dealt him to Nashville during his seventh. The Wild drafted him ninth overall in 2010.Granlund is in the final campaign of a three-year, $17.25-million contract he inked with Minnesota in summer 2017.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders are set to do battle for Eastern Conference supremacy in what promises to be a highly entertaining series.The Lightning and Islanders finished the regular season with the second- and seventh-best records in the East, respectively. The two clubs deploy different styles but each has utilized its unique methods to find postseason success.New York won two of the teams' three regular-season meetings. They've faced off twice in the playoffs before, with the Lightning winning their most recent matchup - a 2016 second-round series - in five games.ScheduleGameDateTime (ET)Networks1Monday Sept. 78:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS2Wednesday Sept. 98:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/TVAS3Friday Sept. 118:00p.m.USA/CBC/SN/TVAS4Sunday Sept. 133:00 p.m.NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS5*Tuesday Sept. 158:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS6*Thursday Sept. 178:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS7*Saturday Sept. 197:30 p.m.NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS* - If necessaryTale of the tapeLightningStatIslanders3.00Goals per game3.382.31Goals against1.9417.1Power-play percentage1781.3Penalty-kill percentage82.257.485-on-5 xGF percentage55.368.015-on-5 SH percentage9.3.9435-on-5 SV percentage9.39How they got hereLightning: Tampa Bay went 2-1 in the round-robin stage before dispatching the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games in Round 1. That series featured a five-overtime marathon in Game 1, but the Lightning eventually overcame the pesky Blue Jackets in both the historically long contest and the series, exorcising their demons from last season's stunning first-round sweep.That set up a high-octane clash with the Boston Bruins - Tampa Bay's fiercest competitor in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins won Game 1 but the Lightning stormed back with four consecutive victories, capped off by Victor Hedman's double-overtime winner.The Lightning own a 10-3 record since the hiatus and have been firing on all cylinders.Islanders: New York tidily handled the Florida Panthers with a four-game qualifying-round win. That set up a clash with the favored Washington Capitals, where the Islanders showed they're a legitimate threat in the East by outscoring the high-flying Capitals 17-8 and advancing in five games.New York took on the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in Round 2. The Islanders jumped out to a 3-1 series lead but dropped the following two contests to pave the way for a decisive Game 7. However, the Islanders put on a vintage Barry Trotz-led performance in the winner-take-all contest, holding the Flyers to only 16 shots on goal and claiming a 4-0 victory to reach their first conference finals since 1993.Key players to watchBrayden Point Elsa / Getty Images Sport / GettyPoint is cementing his status as one of the league's best young players by playing at a Conn Smythe level. The 23-year-old has been a force at both ends of the ice this postseason, leading his club with 18 points - 16 at even strength - in 13 games while also boasting a dominant expected goal rate of 65.22%.Point's also logged over 21 minutes per contest in the absence of captain Steven Stamkos, who won't make a return during this series.Mathew Barzal Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyWe might as well highlight each club's top center because Point going toe-to-toe with Barzal is easily this series' most exciting storyline.Barzal, one of the NHL's most dynamic players, is having an outstanding postseason with 13 points in 16 games. He elevates his linemates with his terrific speed and playmaking abilities, and he almost always keeps the Islanders in control of the flow of the game. Barzal has 62.62% of expected goals this postseason, and New York is outscoring opponents 12-5 when he's on the ice at even strength.If Barzal, an impending restricted free agent, can lead the Islanders to a Stanley Cup Final, you can bet he and his agent will bring that to the negotiating table with the team's brass.Tampa Bay can win if ...The depth steps up. While Point and linemate Nikita Kucherov have done much of the heavy lifting for Tampa Bay's offense, the bottom six hasn't gotten results. Players like Tyler Johnson (six points), Barclay Goodrow (three points), and Pat Maroon (two points), need to find ways to contribute against New York's stout defensive schemes. It'll be imperative for someone on the Lightning to pick up the slack if Tampa Bay's big guns get shut down.Tampa Bay's lengthy layoff is another factor to monitor early in the series. The Lightning will have waited a week between games by the time the puck drops in Game 1, and any rust could go a long way in determining which team captures the early momentum.New York can win if ...It remains the aggressor. The Islanders play a simple yet effective system: establish a heavy forecheck, then shut their opponent's attempts to do the same. Three potent offenses in the Panthers, Capitals, and Flyers were unable to crack Trotz's methods, and it could also work against the Lightning if the system continues to run smoothly.The Islanders are perhaps the NHL's most structurally sound unit, and it's become clear this postseason that everyone's bought into their team identity. Not veering from the game plan that brought them to this point will be crucial if they're to reach their first final since 1984.X-factorsVictor Hedman Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport / GettyIt's not a secret at this point, but no player in this series is capable of having a bigger impact on a nightly basis than Hedman. The Lightning blue-liner is the definition of a workhorse, having averaged 26 minutes per contest this postseason while ranking second on the team in shots (44) and in a tie for third in points (nine).Hedman takes on top competition every night, yet Tampa Bay is outscoring opponents 13-3 at five-on-five in the playoffs when he's on the ice.Josh Bailey Elsa / Getty Images Sport / GettyBailey has flown under the radar as the Islanders' top postseason producer, racking up two goals and 15 assists in 16 games. He's been the catalyst in providing New York with an additional scoring punch while playing on the second line with Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier.Bailey's also been a factor on the power play, with six of his helpers coming with the man advantage. Special teams go a long way in determining a playoff series, and Bailey has played a big role on the Islanders' top unit.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's bubble plan continues to work, as the league maintained zero positive COVID-19 tests among staff and players for the seventh consecutive week, it announced Monday.The streak of zero positive tests includes the week leading up to the restart and all six weeks of playoff action thus far.A total of 2,543 tests have been administered since the start of Phase 4.All four remaining teams are now based in the Edmonton hub after the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders traveled from Toronto to participate in the Eastern Conference Final.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer believes his club didn't play nearly well enough to earn a win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final on Sunday."Bottom line is we got what we deserved," DeBoer said following the 1-0 defeat to the Dallas Stars, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger. "We didn't play hard enough for long enough tonight."After a dramatic Game 7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks to reach their second conference finals in three years of existence, the top-seeded Golden Knights put together one of their worst performances of the playoffs.Vegas managed only 46.91% of the shot attempts, 34.29% of scoring chances, and 41.39% of expected goals for the contest at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.DeBoer added that the Stars present a different challenge than Vegas' previous playoff opponents did."This is going to be a different series," he said. "We haven't played the best defensive team or one of the top two defensive teams in the league yet. So this is going to be a different series, and we're going to have to get our head around that and find a way to create offense. It's not going to look or feel like the last series or the (Chicago Blackhawks) series."Dallas ranked second in goals against during the regular season, allowing only 2.52 per contest.Game 2 goes Tuesday evening.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Two days after they and the Vegas Golden Knights each won a hard-fought Game 7 to move on, the Dallas Stars figured there might be an emotional letdown at the start of the Western Conference final.They filled that void with hit after hit, got one early goal, and played the trademark lockdown style that made them one of the best defensive teams in the NHL during the regular season. The result was a hard-hitting 1-0 victory in Game 1 on Sunday night that served notice to Vegas that a spot in the Stanley Cup Final won’t come easily.“We were skating, we were on top of them, we were creating a lot of offense from good play, good defensive structure all over the ice,” coach Rick Bowness said. “That’s Dallas Stars hockey.”That brand of hockey worked especially well after John Klingberg scored on the Stars’ first shot 2:36 in and with goaltender Anton Khudobin locked in. Khudobin’s rebound control was excellent in stopping all 25 Vegas shots he faced on the way to his first shutout in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.“It always goes to your career record,” said Khudobin, who entered this year without a postseason start on that record. “At the same time, most of it, I’m happy with the win.”The recipe for this win was a barrage of hits. In true Stars fashion, the game had almost double the amount of total hits (96) than shots on goal (50).With physicality the focus, Dallas took it to top-seeded Vegas, which has the size to bang bodies but couldn’t match the Stars’ jump from the drop of the puck.“It took us a while to get our legs going,” Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “We didn’t come out to play from the start of the game.”The Stars came out hitting and got the boost they needed when it looked like surprise Vegas starter Marc-Andre Fleury didn’t get reset after Dallas captain Jamie Benn’s shot attempt was blocked, and Klingberg fired the loose puck past him into the net.Playing with a lead allowed Dallas players to throw their bodies around. If the Golden Knights didn’t know what to expect from the Stars, they do now, and the competition level will be higher than the first two rounds.“This is going to be a different series,” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. “They’re a heavy, veteran team and you’ve got to work to get inside and you’ve got to work for pucks and puck battles. They’re not going to hand you offense, and you’ve got to be willing to compete for pucks.”After having the play dictated to them for the first two periods, the Golden Knights dominated the third but couldn’t crack Khudobin, who has been thrust into the No. 1 role with Ben Bishop injured. As good as Khudobin was, Fleury matched him almost save for save, stopping 23 after allowing the goal to Klingberg.“He was fresh. He’s played well against Dallas, and he gave us a great game,” DeBoer said. “I thought he was our best player.”But Fleury couldn’t help his teammates generate offense, and they were shut out for the second time in three games. Credit on that goes to the Stars, who took advantage of suspended Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves′ absence to set a more physical tone to begin this series.“It was a good effort,” Benn said. “We played on our toes tonight, found a way to get one early there, and I thought (Khudobin) made a lot of great saves, especially in the third period, and we found a way to squeak it out.”NOTES: This was the Stars’ first 1-0 regulation playoff win since 2000, the year after they won the Cup. ... Nick Cousins replaced Reaves in the lineup and delivered a big hit early. ... Mattias Janmark played for Dallas after leaving Game 7 against Colorado with injury. ... Bishop and defenseman Stephen Johns remained unfit to play for the Stars. ... Forward Andrew Cogliano was a healthy scratch so Dallas could keep Game 7 hero Joel Kiviranta in. ... Fleury started for just the fourth time in the postseason. Robin Lehner played the other 12.UP NEXTGame 2 is Tuesday after the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders open the East final Monday.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba is the 2019-20 recipient of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the NHL announced Sunday.The honor is awarded annually to the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."Dumba is one of the most vocal NHL players on the subjects of racial injustice and inequality. In June, he co-founded the Hockey Diversity Alliance, whose mission is to eliminate systemic racism and intolerance in the game.On Aug. 1, the 26-year-old gave a passionate speech addressing those issues and then became the first NHL player to kneel during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Chicago Blackhawks. One day later, he raised his fist during both anthems before Minnesota's matchup with the Vancouver Canucks.Dumba started the "Rebuild Minnesota" project to help local businesses affected by protests stemming from the death of George Floyd in police custody. He pledged to match all donations up to $100,000 for that cause, according to the Star-Tribune's Randy Johnson.The Wild rearguard also assisted over 60 families with COVID-19 support amid the outbreak of the pandemic and donated over $11,000 toward Australia's wildfire relief in January.New Jersey Devils blue-liner P.K. Subban and New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist were the other two finalists.This is the second straight year the award went to a Wild player - Jason Zucker, now of the Pittsburgh Penguins, took home the honor in 2019 while with Minnesota.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights will start goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for Game 1 against the Dallas Stars on Sunday, the team announced.Fleury has started just three games so far this postseason, while teammate Robin Lehner has appeared in 12, including the club's Game 7 win over the Vancouver Canucks.Since Sep. 1, Lehner has started three games and stopped 48 of the 53 shots he faced, including a shutout in Game 7 to help send Vegas to the Western Conference Final.Fleury has won all three of the contests he's appeared in so far this postseason. He played once during the round-robin, once against the Chicago Blackhawks, and once against the Canucks. His last start was on Aug. 30.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This is the second edition of theScore's rankings of the top candidates to be named 2019-20 playoff MVP. We've only featured players still competing in the postseason, which officially includes the qualifying round and round-robin stage.5. Mark Stone Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyStone contributes more to team wins than most players do. The gifted Vegas Golden Knights winger posted a point per game in the first two rounds and round-robin play, recording six goals and nine assists in 15 contests.Stone also plays a critical shutdown role on the defensive end, frequently being tasked with containing some of the most dynamic stars in the league on the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks in Rounds 1 and 2, respectively.The 28-year-old possesses a blistering 69.69% expected goals rate at 5-on-5 entering the Western Conference Final, and his scoring chances for (62.5%) and Corsi For (60.93%) figures only underscore his value further.4. Shea Theodore Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyIt's safe to say the Anaheim Ducks are still kicking themselves for trading Theodore to the Golden Knights at the 2017 expansion draft, and the defenseman is making his old club regret that decision more than ever this postseason.This list's No. 1 is the only player with more points among blue-liners heading into the conference finals - Theodore's produced six goals and 10 assists in 15 games in just over 22 minutes of ice time.The 25-year-old is particularly formidable lately, burying two goals in the last three games ahead of Round 3 and amassing two goals and eight assists over a seven-game span, including three multi-point efforts from Aug. 16-Sept. 1.3. Brayden Point Elsa / Getty Images Sport / GettyPoint is certainly living up to his last name in these playoffs, and his production is critical to the Tampa Bay Lightning's success, especially in the absence of injured captain Steven Stamkos.Entering the conference finals, the 24-year-old forward led all NHL skaters still competing with 1.38 points per game. He's collected six goals and 12 assists in 13 games played through the first two rounds and the round-robin stage. He only earned two of his 18 points on the power play - and both were helpers - making his output look even more impressive.Point occasionally gets overlooked because of the Lightning's catalog of superstars, but he's a game-changer in his own right. The skilled center boasts terrific possession figures entering Round 3, going above 60% in expected goals for (65.22), scoring chances for (60.95), and Corsi For (61.26) at 5-on-5.2. Andrei Vasilevskiy Chase Agnello-Dean / National Hockey League / GettyVasilevskiy does have a potent offense in front of him, but he deserves ample recognition for his stellar performance this postseason.The Lightning goaltender is pacing the remaining puck-stoppers with a .931 save percentage in all situations, and a 6.03 goals saved above average at 5-on-5 alongside his 10-3 record. A 45-save effort against the Boston Bruins in Game 5 padded those numbers, but he authored a commendable .927 save percentage in the 12 previous contests.Vasilevskiy mounted his accomplishments while facing more shots than all but Jacob Markstrom, Anton Khudobin, and Carter Hart through second-round play.1. Miro Heiskanen Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / GettyIt's rare to see someone so young become the most valuable still-competing player in the conference finals, but that's what Heiskanen is.The 21-year-old led all active skaters in playoff points with 21 in 16 games heading into the third round, while averaging nearly 26 minutes of ice time.That's remarkable, considering not just the Dallas Stars defenseman's age, but his position. Heiskanen is also effectively driving possession - his expected goals for (53.53), scoring chances for (52.59), and Corsi For (50.71) percentages at 5-on-5 are all favorable through the second round.Honorable mentions: Josh Bailey, Robin Lehner, Nikita Kucherov, Mathew Barzal, Victor Hedman, Denis Gurianov, Alex Tuch.(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos won't be available for the Eastern Conference Final versus the New York Islanders, head coach Jon Cooper announced Sunday.Stamkos has been nursing an unspecified lower-body injury since Phase 2 of the NHL's return-to-play plan and hasn't suited up this postseason.The 30-year-old sniper also missed time during the regular season as he underwent core-muscle surgery in February. He notched 29 goals and 37 assists in 66 games.The Lightning have managed a 10-3 record despite Stamkos' absence following the league's hiatus.Game 1 starts Monday at 8:00 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL released the Western and Eastern Conference Final schedules Sunday.All games will be played in the Edmonton bubble beginning Sunday evening, with the Western Conference Final kicking things off.Golden Knights vs. StarsGameDateTime (ET)Networks1Sunday Sept. 68:00 p.m.NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS2Tuesday Sept. 88:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS3Thursday Sept. 108:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS4Saturday Sept. 128:00 p.m.NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS5*Monday Sept. 148:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS6*Wednesday Sept. 168:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS7*Friday Sept. 188:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS* - If necessaryLightning vs. IslandersGameDateTime (ET)Networks1Monday Sept. 78:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS2Wednesday Sept. 98:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/TVAS3Friday Sept. 118:00p.m.USA/CBC/SN/TVAS4Sunday Sept. 133:00 p.m.NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS5*Tuesday Sept. 158:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS6*Thursday Sept. 178:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS7*Saturday Sept. 197:30 p.m.NBC/CBC/SN/TVASCopyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars both left it late in Round 2 but moved on to the Western Conference Final by edging out their respective opponents in pivotal Game 7s.Vegas finished the 2019-20 regular season with the third-best record in the West, while Dallas finished with the fourth. With two dynamic teams set to butt heads for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup, let's take a look at the upcoming series.ScheduleGameDateTime (ET)Networks1Sunday Sept. 68:00 p.m.NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS2Tuesday Sept. 88:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS3Thursday Sept. 108:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS4Saturday Sept. 128:00 p.m.NBC/CBC/SN/TVAS5*Monday Sept. 148:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS6*Wednesday Sept. 168:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS7*Friday Sept. 188:00 p.m.NBCSN/CBC/SN/TVAS* - If necessaryTale of the tapeStarsStatGolden Knights3.31Goals per game3.273.50Goals against2.3328.3Power play %20.582.3Penalty kill %87.849.345-on-5 xGF %64.119.045-on-5 SH %7.76.9065-on-5 SV %.914How they got hereStars: Dallas didn't look very threatening in the round robin, finishing 1-2 and scoring just five goals. It seemed like the Stars were headed toward an early exit after dropping two of the first three games of their opening-round series against the Calgary Flames. Then they flipped the switch.Since Game 4 of that series, the Stars have scored an impressive 42 goals in 10 games.After going up 3-1 against the Colorado Avalanche, the Stars hit a speed bump and ultimately needed seven games and overtime in the deciding match to advance.Golden Knights: Vegas was one of the league's hottest teams toward the end of the regular season, finishing the year with 11 wins in 13 games. They nabbed the top seed in the round robin with a perfect 3-0 record and took care of the Chicago Blackhawks in five games in Round 1.Vegas looked like it was in for another quick series after going up 3-1 against the Vancouver Canucks in Round 2, but Thatcher Demko stepped into the crease and nearly stole the series.The Golden Knights managed 273 shots on goal in the second-round series but only potted 19 goals. They dominated the Canucks in nearly every facet of the game but ultimately needed an exhausting extra few games to progress.Key players to watch Miro Heiskanen Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / GettyMany people were already aware of his special talent, but this postseason has really felt like Heiskanen's true coming-out party. The 21-year-old Finnish phenomenon has been electric since the beginning of the postseason and is one of the main reasons the Stars find themselves a step away from the Stanley Cup Final.He leads all active players in these playoffs with 21 points and has been Dallas' best player by far, getting things done on both ends of the ice.Mark Stone Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / GettyStone has continued to show through this postseason that he's one of the league's best all-around players. He's contributed six goals and nine assists in 15 games for Vegas thus far, but his contributions go much deeper than his point totals.At even strength, Stone owns a 60.93 Corsi For rating and a 69.69 expected goals for percentage. His team has generated 72 high-danger scoring chances with him on the ice and conceded just 43 against. His 13 takeaways rank fourth among all forwards. Opponents need to keep an eye on him at all times when he's on the ice, as he simply does it all.Dallas can win if ...As obvious as it sounds, the Stars simply need to continue scoring. With goaltender Anton Khudobin expected to carry the load in net, Dallas will need to continue to support him as much as possible - they surrendered 29 goals - 4.14 per game - to the Avalanche last round.Between the regular season and postseason, Khudobin has already played in 44 games - exceeding his career high of 41 last season. Fatigue is likely to set in while Ben Bishop remains unfit to play, so Dallas will need to step up in front of him.The Stars ranked 28th in the league in goals per game (2.58) during the regular season, so they'll need to build on their newfound scoring touch if they want a shot at toppling Vegas.Vegas can win if ...The Golden Knights have been doing almost everything right so far this postseason. At five-on-five, Vegas leads all postseason teams with a 60.62 Corsi For rating and 64.11 expected goals for percentage. The Golden Knights control play at both ends and don't give teams much room to breathe.If there's one thing to point out, it's that Vegas needs to continue to ride Robin Lehner in net. He's a key reason why the team has allowed so few goals this postseason, and he certainly can't be blamed for Vegas' losses against Vancouver. He gives the Golden Knights the best chance to win, and it seems he has their full trust. Marc-Andre Fleury has been the No. 1 starter since the team's inception in 2017, but Lehner's been spectacular since arriving at the trade deadline. He's started 12 of his team's 15 games this postseason, and that shouldn't change moving forward.X-factors Tyler Seguin Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / GettyAfter one of the quietest regular seasons of his career, Seguin hasn't been his usual dynamic self this postseason, either. He's totaled just two goals and five assists through 15 games, so the Stars would greatly benefit if the 28-year-old can break through this series.Joe Pavelski, Alexander Radulov, Denis Gurianov, and Jamie Benn have combined for 28 of Dallas' 53 goals this postseason. If Seguin can regain his scoring touch, Vegas could struggle to contain the Stars' offense.Shea Theodore Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyTheodore is quietly leading the Golden Knights in points with 16. He was the only player able to score a goal - he did so twice - on Demko last series. He sits third on the team with 22:20 minutes of ice time per game. It may not be obvious, but Theodore has been vital to the Golden Knights' success.His 69.70 expected goals for percentage at five-on-five ranks first among all defensemen this postseason. He's helped generate 86 high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five, which ranks first among all skaters. He's been nothing short of incredible this postseason, and if he can maintain his momentum, Vegas will find itself in a good position to advance.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes interviewed Sean Burke for the club's general manager position, a source told NHL Network's Craig Morgan.Burke is currently a scout and goaltending consultant with the Montreal Canadiens but has a long history with the Coyotes. He was their netminder for five seasons and has worked with the club as an assistant coach, assistant to the GM, and director of prospect development.Burke has also served as the GM for Hockey Canada at the Spengler Cup since 2017, the 2018 World Championship, and the 2018 Olympic Games. The Florida Panthers - who Burke also played for - interviewed him for their GM vacancy before they decided to hire Bill Zito.The Coyotes have also reportedly interviewed Jason Karmanos and talked to NBC analyst Pierre McGuire about the GM role.The position is currently held by Steve Sullivan, who took over on an interim basis after John Chayka resigned in July following four seasons.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.We closed out Round 2 on a winning note, finishing 11-7 with our posted game bets and 3-1 with our Eastern and Western Conference series bets.Let's keep this train chugging into the conference finals.Dallas Stars (+150) @ Vegas Golden Knights (-170)These teams unleashed a world of frustration Friday night in their respective Game 7s after they each blew a 3-1 series leads. Both the Stars and Knights were scoring goals for fun all playoffs until they were stonewalled by a third- and second-string goaltender, respectively. With their Stanley Cup hopes hanging in the balance, Joel Kiviranta and Shea Theodore ensured there was no fairytale ending for Michael Hutchinson and Thatcher Demko, respectively.That sets the scene for what should be an entertaining conference finals between the two remaining top-ranked teams in goals for per 60 minutes. The Stars have scored five or more times in seven of their 13 postseason games, while the Knights lead all playoff teams with a rate of 3.49 expected goals for per 60 minutes. To put into perspective just how outrageous that number is, the Avalanche were the only other playoff team above 3.00, with the Islanders sitting third at 2.87.Of course, there's a difference between expecting to score and actually scoring. Vegas has come in under its expected goals total in six games since the start of Round 1. The Knights fell short of their expected goals for total in their series against the Blackhawks (15 scored, 17.44 expected) and the Canucks (19 scored, 26.69 expected). As good as this team is at generating offense, its finishing has been sporadic.That's a luxury Vegas can't afford against the Stars, who excel at suppressing offense at five-on-five. Dallas won't afford the Knights nearly as many opportunities as they had against Chicago and Vancouver - two of the most porous defenses in the playoffs.Vegas has also allowed the fewest shots against per 60 minutes (24.41) in the postseason, but that's partly a product of facing two of the worst teams in that regard. The Stars are fourth among playoff teams in shots per 60 minutes. The Knights are an incredibly deep team and a puck-possession juggernaut, but Dallas is a step up in class for the Western Conference favorites and represents too much value to pass up in Game 1.Pick: Stars (+150)(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.

Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux said he and his teammates were left with a bitter taste in their mouths by their Game 7 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday night."Right now, it's very frustrating," Giroux told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "We like our team. We like the pieces we have. Frustration is high right now. We're going in the right direction, but it's one game. We win this game and we're going to the conference finals."The Flyers won Games 5 and 6 to force the winner-take-all contest but were blanked 4-0 and managed only 16 shots on goal with their season on the line.Head coach Alain Vigneault echoed Giroux's comments."I really liked our start to tonight's game," Vigneault said. "I thought the first six minutes, we were on our toes, we were making plays, we were playing in their end. And then after they scored that first goal, we just never had the same bounce or the same pop."Obviously, it's very disappointing to our whole group."The Flyers finished fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-21-7 regular-season record. They earned the top seed in the playoffs by sweeping the round-robin portion of the return to play.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After spending over a month in the NHL's bubble, some players and staff will get the chance to reunite with family members ahead of the conference finals.NHL commissioner Bill Daly announced the league is allowing Canadian family members to join the Edmonton bubble but is waiting on the Canadian government regarding the possibility of also permitting those who aren't citizens, according to The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno.Family members will be free to join as long as they adhere to quarantine regulations. The two remaining Eastern Conference teams will travel from Toronto to Edmonton to play out the remainder of the playoffs.The plan from the outset was to grant family members access ahead of the conference finals. Discussions have been ongoing for weeks, but the league has yet to hear back from the government about the additional exemptions.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes may be looking between the benches for their next general manager."An interesting name surfaced this week, Ron, and that's Pierre McGuire," Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reported while addressing host Ron MacLean on "Saturday Headlines.""The longtime broadcaster working at NBC has had some conversations with the Coyotes about that opening," Johnston added."What's interesting here, to me, is that Steve Sullivan, who's holding the job on an interim basis, is taking calls right now ... I know he's getting a lot of interest in (goaltender) Darcy Kuemper ... so in the background of this GM search, (Sullivan) is also talking to some teams about trades."McGuire has been a broadcaster since 1997, and with NBC since 2011. The 59-year-old previously held coaching, scouting, and executive roles with several clubs, including the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hartford Whalers.Arizona also reportedly interviewed Penguins assistant GM Jason Karmanos for the Coyotes' GM job.John Chayka, Arizona's previous GM, terminated his contract in late July, and the team accused him of "quitting" on the club as postseason play was beginning.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL has suspended Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves one game for his hit to Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte's head during Game 7 Friday, the league announced.Here's a look at the play that got Reaves ejected from the game:

The Philadelphia Flyers are getting arguably the best defensive forward in the NHL back in the fold with their season on the line.Sean Couturier is in the lineup for Game 7 of the Flyers' second-round series against the New York Islanders.Couturier sat out Game 6 after colliding knee-on-knee with Islanders forward Mathew Barzal in the previous game.The 27-year-old is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL's top defensive forward.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders are making a change in goal in their win-or-go-home affair against the Philadelphia Flyers.Thomas Greiss is starting in place of Semyon Varlamov for the Islanders in Game 7.Saturday's contest marks the first time Greiss has played since he made 36 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Flyers in Game 4. The German netminder also appeared in Game 2 of the series, replacing Varlamov and stopping 20 of 21 shots in an overtime loss.Varlamov allowed five goals on 31 shots in New York's double-overtime defeat against Philadelphia in Game 6.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins inked defenseman Juuso Riikola to a two-year contract carrying an average annual value of $1.15 million, the club announced Saturday.Riikola, previously a pending restricted free agent, receives a slight salary increase compared to the $850,000 he's earning this season.The 26-year-old has played his two NHL campaigns with Pittsburgh, serving primarily as a depth defender. He signed with the Penguins in May 2018 after suiting up for parts of six seasons in his native Finland.Even after signing Riikola, Pittsburgh has nine remaining pending free agents, though only Conor Sheary, Patrick Marleau, and Justin Schultz are soon-to-be UFAs. Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said earlier this week the team plans to "move on" from Schultz.Goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray are among the Pittsburgh players set to become RFAs, but Rutherford said in August that there's a "very, very good chance" he'll have to trade one of his netminders.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.Round 2 comes to an end on Saturday, and it's a shame because it's been quite profitable for us - not to mention wildly entertaining.Friday's games were outstanding, and we've got one more Game 7 to enjoy on Saturday before it's off to the conference finals.New York Islanders (-125) @ Philadelphia Flyers (+105)How did we get here?Up 3-1 in the series and in complete control on the ice, the Islanders looked like a lock to meet the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 3. Left for dead, the Flyers have resurrected their Stanley Cup hopes, but for how long?Carter Hart has been immaculate for Philadelphia to help force Game 7, standing on his head in a pair of overtime wins. The Flyers were outshot 42-17 in regulation of Game 6; they were trailing 4-3 heading into the third period and were still outshot 14-4 over the final 20 minutes despite their playoff lives hanging in the balance.Philadelphia has looked good during spells in this series, but the Islanders have ultimately been the much better team since the puck dropped in Game 1. They've controlled a much larger portion of the expected goal share and are fully deserving of a spot in the conference finals. I touted them to win this series before it began, and nothing I've seen through six games has me doubting that selection.Pick: Islanders (-125)(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.

The Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Vancouver Canucks from the NHL playoffs on Friday night. Here are three takeaways from Vegas' 3-0 Game 7 win.Demko's hot streak will live onHockey is amusingly illogical sometimes. Nothing made sense about Thatcher Demko turning rock solid in Game 5 and 6. The untested rookie backup came in cold to deny 90 of 91 shots against the league's most relentless offensive team. All Vancouver needed to complete the postseason's unlikeliest turnaround - to beat Vegas a third time in four nights - was for logic to remain suspended a few more hours.Well, that happened, and the Golden Knights advancing nonetheless is almost the secondary story here. This week's breakout star in the Edmonton bubble turned aside the first 32 pucks he saw in Game 7, and he made 33 stops in total. Demko exits the playoffs with a .985 save percentage. Let's just say that wasn't expected from him.Consider the route Demko took from Boston College, out of which Vancouver drafted him No. 36 overall in 2014, to the postgame handshake line at Rogers Place, where everyone from Mark Stone to Robin Lehner to Vegas coach Peter DeBoer greeted him with bulged eyeballs and a shake of the head. Demko had only appeared in 10 NHL games before 2019-20, and he was pedestrian this season as Jacob Markstrom's regular backup, logging a .905 save percentage and a minus-3.67 goals saved above average mark. Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty ImagesPrior to Game 5 against Vegas, Demko had played all of eight competitive minutes - the length of his mop-up appearance in the series opener - since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. But rust didn't faze him then, nor did fatigue on Friday on the latter half of a back-to-back. In Game 7, Demko stymied early Vegas pressure with glove, shoulder, and pad saves. He summoned a kick stop from his back and stoned Jonathan Marchessault and Nate Schmidt in close. He made 98 straight saves in all going back to Game 5, before Shea Theodore's late winner interrupted the streak.Vegas absolutely swarmed Vancouver in Game 7. That they laid siege in the offensive zone - we'll get to the gory numbers shortly - enabled Demko to outshine the goalie who recorded three shutouts in the series. That's not to disparage Lehner, who vindicated DeBoer's confidence in him and surely made the save of his life with Brock Boeser bearing down. Demko's brilliance got Vancouver this far, and Lehner did what he had to do to ward off a collapse.For more than a month now, zaniness has governed a good chunk of the action in the NHL bubble. Each conference's 12th-ranked team butted into the first round at the expense of Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. This will be remembered as the postseason that featured a five-overtime epic and three clubs squandering 3-1 series leads simultaneously. The Dallas Stars redeemed themselves earlier Friday after 24-year-old rookie Joel Kiviranta became the first player since Wayne Gretzky to net a Game 7 hat trick.Demko's star turn was a belated subplot of this spirited playoff run. It came after the Minnesota Wild were ousted and the defending champion St. Louis Blues coolly dispatched, and it lasted just four days, a quirk of a compressed series. But it was yet another prime example of this tournament's prevailing weirdness. It will be remembered, and if Vancouver's Demko era starts in earnest next year - Markstrom is set to hit unrestricted free agency - memories of Sept. 1-4, 2020, will boost the confidence of everyone involved.Vegas' dominance was laughable but not meaningful Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty ImagesGame 7 was decided when Theodore struck on the power play, rendering moot 42-plus minutes of goalless five-on-five action.Per Natural Stat Trick, here are some stats of note from that principal phase of the game: Vegas attempted 60 shots to Vancouver's 20. The Golden Knights lapped the Canucks in scoring chances (28-12) and nearly quintupled them in high-danger opportunities (14-3). If not for a late Vancouver surge following Theodore's goal, the expected goal percentage differential - Vegas finished at 75.7% - would have wound up even further out of whack.It's hard to overstate how lopsided the run of play was in Game 7 and across the two Vancouver victories that preceded it. Had the Canucks managed to score and win again despite this disparity, the result would have gone down in history as an inconceivably strange way for a favored team to flame out of the playoffs. It would have been on par with last season when Cody Eakin went to the box for cross-checking and the San Jose Sharks scored four goals on the ensuing power play, costing Vegas a Game 7.For such a young franchise, the Golden Knights have already flirted with their fair share of playoff anguish. Even in victory, with passage to the Western Conference final booked, it has to gnaw at Vegas' stable of accomplished scorers that no degree of O-zone dominance unsettled Demko.Obviously, it's better to slam the opponent in puck possession and scoring chances than the alternative, and the Golden Knights' propensity to inundate teams is what makes them so dangerous. They led the league in shot share in the regular season, which translated to a top-three finish in the conference and the opportunity to snag the No. 1 seed in the playoff round robin.The Golden Knights' approach to driving offense - wearing down defenders in waves that don't abate - is designed to bear fruit over long stretches. Small samples are unpredictable, and that almost doomed them. For now, Vegas can be heartened that Demko's departing, and by the likelihood that Dallas' Anton Khudobin, a goalie with a far greater track record, won't come close to duplicating his astounding form.Theodore deserved his spin in the spotlight Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty ImagesAll four teams that reached Game 7s in the Western Conference bracket featured one of the sport's finest blue-liners. Calder Trophy co-favorites Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar leave the bubble having each surpassed the playoff scoring record for rookie defensemen. (Hughes' 16 points bested Makar by one.) Miro Heiskanen retains a leg up on both of them, and not just because the Stars are still playing - his five goals and 21 points are the most of any skater not named Nathan MacKinnon or Mikko Rantanen.If Heiskanen is Dallas' de facto Conn Smythe Trophy nominee at this stage, he has competition with Theodore, the only Golden Knight to solve Demko in Game 5 and 7. On a squad with a deep forward corps that tends to get lauded for tilting the ice, Theodore has asserted himself in these playoffs as an essential offensive catalyst. His six goals lead defensemen league-wide, and his 16 points are most on the team.Every Golden Knight drove positive offensive figures against the Canucks, but it's Theodore whose 72.9% expected goals percentage topped the club for the series. The precision of his wrister from the point on the man advantage stood in contrast to the aimlessness of Vancouver's power play, which by going 0-for-4 in Game 7 failed to compensate for the Canucks' even-strength woes.That Vancouver got this deep a full year before Hughes and Elias Pettersson's entry-level contracts expire is doubtlessly positive. They unseated the champs and startled a juggernaut that might yet win the Stanley Cup. Nothing is assured in hockey, though, as Demko reminded Vegas, and every lost playoff opportunity hurts, no matter how long the Canucks anticipate they'll contend. Credit Theodore - who in retrospect might be the catch of the 2017 expansion draft - with delivering that blow.Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights enforcer Ryan Reaves will have a hearing for his hit to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte during Game 7 on Friday, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.Here's a look at the play, which earned Reaves a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

Tuukka Rask didn't reveal a whole lot when he opted out of the NHL restart.In a short statement released on his way out of the Eastern Conference bubble Aug. 15, the Bruins' No. 1 goalie said that despite the fact that he wanted to compete for a Stanley Cup with his teammates, he needed to be with his young family back in Boston.What exactly pulled Rask home remains unclear, but it's evident the mental strain of being separated from the people he cares about most reached a breaking point for Rask. His departure midway through a heated first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes reminded the hockey world that these exceptionally talented, well-paid athletes are human beings, too, and the playoff grind during a pandemic extends far beyond physical endurance."It's a unique situation that no one's been a part of before," Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler said. "Once you're playing in the games, you're very focused on that. But, away from the rink, it's hard to be away from your family. That's the biggest challenge."Sunday marks six weeks since parties of 52 players, coaches, and staff from 24 teams traveled to either Edmonton or Toronto for the beginning of the 2020 postseason. That's 42 days of the same surroundings inside the closely monitored, fenced-in "secure zones" erected in both hub cities."It kind of feels like a long, long road trip for us, you know?" Dallas Stars forward Radek Faksa said. "I think the NHL did a very good job with the setup, but, mentally, it's tough doing the same routine every day."Canucks forward Elias Pettersson travels between the arena and the hotel in Edmonton last month. Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagesFrom a health and safety perspective, the NHL's record is sparkling clean. There hadn't been a single positive COVID-19 test as of last week despite daily required tests from everyone inside the bubbles. The league is cramming in as many games as possible into its schedule - Friday's slate had to accommodate two Game 7s at Rogers Place - in an effort to award the Cup later this month. Air travel will be limited to a pair of cross-country flights: the two Eastern Conference finalists heading west as the league consolidates in one place for the last two rounds.Steve Mayer, the league's chief content officer and the man tasked with creating and maintaining the bubbles for the NHL, admits he was initially nervous about how players and coaches would react to both setups given the life of luxury those in pro sports are accustomed to. The feedback he's received directly has been pleasantly surprising."The No. 1 thing I hear on a daily basis is, 'This is so much better than I thought it would be, thanks,'" Mayer said. "And so, expectations, for one reason or another, weren't that high. I think we have done a good job of getting it to the point for everybody that it's a liveable bubble. … (Even) if you were in the greatest resort in the world for this long of time, yeah, it would get to you after a while.""They've made us all feel safe, we're secure here," Dallas Stars interim head coach Rick Bowness said a couple of weeks ago. "Everyone's getting tested, everyone's wearing masks. So, there's no issues that you're worried about. That being said, it's not like we're walking out to a park. We're going to a courtyard and there's three other teams sitting there. You go to the gym and you're working out with the people you're playing against that night.""It’s definitely not normal life," Vegas Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer said the next day. "At the same time, we try and remind ourselves every day to embrace it. It's an opportunity of a lifetime."DeBoer then dropped a fun spin on the isolation: "Even on the worst day in here, there's all the hockey you can watch and all the beer you can drink, so it's not a bad day."As DeBoer showed, the NHL bubble is what its inhabitants make of it. The more hockey games you win, the closer you come to lifting the Cup. But the longer you last in the playoffs, the longer you are confined to the same spaces - the rink, hotel, courtyard, nearby football stadium, and, well, not much else - with nobody but teammates, coaches, team staff, and event staff to interact with.Carolina players engage in a game of spikeball Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesFor 22-year-old Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard, he'd never played so many playoff games before Colorado was eliminated Friday by Dallas. He'd also never, ever played so much cornhole."I'm getting better in cornhole," Girard said earlier this week."A lot! A lot of cornhole," Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog said, interrupting to elicit a smile and a laugh from his teammate during a dual media availability."So, that's a good thing," Girard continued. "It's (the) playoffs, so it's fun. We have fun (being) all together here and we're not ready to leave."Everyone's experience is not the same, though. One prominent player agent says he's received "mixed reviews" from his agency's clients, noting some in Edmonton have been less than happy with the setup and amenities. A second agent reports, "The players are mostly miserable in the bubble." A third contrasts the perspectives of a veteran who's consistently a healthy scratch being away from his kids for several weeks with that of an ambitious, unproven NHL prospect now enjoying uptempo summer practices and plenty of one-on-one time with star teammates."If you're a hockey player and loving playing hockey right now, the bubbles definitely present an opportunity," Andrika Rook, a clinical therapist specializing in performance for SHIFT Collab in Toronto, said. "If that's all you want to do, you can do it. You're living, breathing hockey, and then going back to the hotel and playing video games. You're with your team at all times.""A 23-year-old versus a 38-year-old player," she continued, "there's a big difference in lifestyle and routine."Beyond cornhole and golf, facilities and equipment for spikeball, pingpong, basketball, baseball, billiards, squash, and tennis are readily available. Players planned ahead, too, packing instruments, video game consoles, board games, and books to kill time. It may seem like an impressive list of distractions, but like anything else in life, the shine can wear off quickly. That's why Eastern Conference players and coaches earlier this week were treated to a private screening of "Tenet," the new Christopher Nolan sci-fi film, and why, out west, the Golden Knights formed a "fun committee" for the purpose of breaking up the monotony of bubble life."You get cabin fever a little bit. It's tough, there's not a lot of sunlight, not a lot of grass you get to see," Vegas forward Reilly Smith said. "But our team and our organization (have) done a good job trying to make the most of the experience, really giving us every opportunity to get our mind away from the game and the bubble as well as they could. We're fortunate."Tim Hortons truck inside the Edmonton bubble Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesCanucks third-string goalie Louis Domingue seemingly embraced his abundance of downtime by baking pies for his teammates. In general, the NHL has been lauded for offering a variety of food options, and the food businesses in both hub cities are surely reaping the benefits of long-term hotel guests. Tim Hortons has a truck stationed inside both bubbles, serving coffee and donuts. (The signature Iced Capp is apparently a huge hit.) But that's hardly enough for some of the bubble's residents."I was thinking about that the other day; how I really don't think I've been outside in a couple of days," Stars forward Jason Dickinson noted in his Aug. 24 diary entry for The Athletic. "I've stepped outside, walked to Tim Hortons, and grabbed a coffee, but I didn't actually sit outside or spend any time out there. … On top of that, the days are all blending together. I don't even know what day it is anymore. We feel so distanced from the world and what's going on back home because all you are focused on is where you are in this seclusion."Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers opened up about his battle with anxiety and depression inside the NBA bubble in Orlando. There's no reason why some NHL players might be feeling similarly. Players struggling with mental health issues can contact the NHL Players' Association for support. Since 1996, the union has offered direct assistance and resources, free of charge, to its membership. In the bubble, a Zoom call with a mental health professional can be arranged for the player or a member of the player's family."There's the risk of boredom, a lack of stimulation, being in this environment day in and day out," said psychologist Kim Foster Yardley, who works with high-performance athletes. "We all experienced it with the (COVID-19) lockdown and had to find creative ways to stay interested in life. Our brains like novelty."Edmonton-based players gather for a press conference Andy Devlin / Getty ImagesOn the other hand, the bubble can foster collaboration between rivals. Dickinson was one of five Western Conference players who manned a microphone last week to address reporters after the players' walkout in protest of racial injustice. Most, if not all players in Edmonton attended the press conference. Being in close proximity - being stuck with each other - proved to be helpful and powerful."It's unique in a sense that we're in this bubble and we're together," Stars forward Joe Pavelski said following the walkout. "For me, it's been good being around teammates and other competitors, and learning a little bit more (about social issues) and hearing and being a part of it. You try to educate yourself along the way, but there's always more to come, for sure."However, by all accounts, the main quibble players have with bubble life is the absence of their loved ones. On that front, the NHL is in discussions with Alberta and Canada government officials about loosening the quarantine periods for family members hoping to travel to Edmonton and enter the bubble for the conference finals and Cup final."Every team is completely different in terms of their interest and so there's been a bit of a process," Mayer said Friday. "We're not fully approved. Plans are in place to try to make it happen, but nothing is solidified yet."Some have argued the 2020 NHL playoffs should carry an asterisk, that winning the Cup this postseason should be viewed as a poor man's championship. Talk to anybody who's spent a second in the bubble - or take one look at the grueling schedule - and you'll realize these playoffs have simply presented different challenges. If there's going to be an asterisk, it should shine brightly and point toward the unique grind these players, coaches, and staff are enduring. Cabin fever affects all.John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-0 in Game 7 on Friday night to eliminate them from the postseason.The Golden Knights will now take on the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.More to come.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars saved some fireworks for the final minutes of regulation in Game 7 on Friday.Vladislav Namestnikov buried his second goal of the contest to give the Avalanche a 4-3 lead with 3:40 left in the third period.

The Colorado Avalanche are without captain Gabriel Landeskog for Game 7 versus the Dallas Stars on Friday afternoon, the team announced.Landeskog had his leg sliced by teammate Cale Makar in the second period of Game 6 and was unable to finish the contest. He's been deemed unfit to play, per NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

The Arizona Coyotes may be considering adding some championship pedigree to their front office.The Coyotes interviewed Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Jason Karmanos for Arizona's vacant GM role Thursday, multiple sources told NHL Network's Craig Morgan.Karmanos is in his third season as the Penguins' assistant GM. He was Pittsburgh's vice president of hockey operations from 2014-17, helping to oversee its Stanley Cup-winning squads in 2016 and 2017.Before working with the Penguins under current GM Jim Rutherford, the 46-year-old spent 15 years as an executive with the Carolina Hurricanes from 1998-2013. Rutherford served as Carolina's GM from 1994-2014, and both men helped the Hurricanes win the title in 2006.Karmanos is the son of former Hurricanes and Hartford Whalers owner Peter Karmanos. Carolina fired the younger Karmanos four days before training camp in 2013, and his father - who ran the team at the time - referred to it as a "family matter." Three of the elder Karmanos' sons, including Jason, sued their father for $105 million in 2016. The lawsuit was ultimately settled in mediation.Former Coyotes general manager and president of hockey operations John Chayka terminated his contract in late July, after which the team accused him of "quitting" on the club as it was about to begin postseason play. Chayka spent four years with Arizona after the Coyotes anointed him as the youngest GM in NHL history upon giving him the job at the age of 26.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's not often that one of Wayne Gretzky's records can be broken, but he hopes Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon gets a crack at setting a new benchmark for playoff points in a single season.The Great One holds the record with a whopping 47 points in 18 games en route to winning the Stanley Cup in 1985. MacKinnon has a long way to go - he's currently at 25 points through 14 contests - but could challenge the all-time mark if Colorado goes on a run to the final."I would be the first to shake his hand if he were to break it. He is a terrific kid," Gretzky told TSN's Frank Seravalli on Thursday.Gretzky added, "He's got more than a good chance. He has been dominant in every game. It's almost like he's picked up 20 guys on his shoulders and said, 'We're not going to lose.'"He went on to praise MacKinnon as a blend of some of the best players to ever suit up."He is a cross between (Mario) Lemieux's hands, (Mark) Messier's power, Connor (McDavid's) speed. He is the full package," Gretzky said. "He is a force."If MacKinnon breaks Gretzky's record, some may question its legitimacy, as this year's 24-team playoff featured an extra round. Gretzky doesn't buy into that notion."Absolutely not," he said. "Look, there is an evolution to the game. Things change, the playoffs change. Jean Beliveau and Gordie Howe only got two rounds. Then Bobby Orr came along and he got three rounds. No one said that my records shouldn't count because I played four (rounds), more games than Gordie or Beliveau or The Rocket (Maurice Richard). Their records all would have been a lot higher had they played more games."Gretzky averaged a remarkable 2.61 points per game on his record-setting run, and MacKinnon is currently at 1.78. The Avalanche center has his work cut out for him, but MacKinnon's terrific postseason thus far already places him in Gretzky's company: He's the first player to amass 25 points in his club's first 14 playoff games since Gretzky did so with the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.Gretzky had three 40-point postseasons in his career. The only other player to reach that threshold was Lemieux, who registered 44 points in the 1991 playoffs.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Clear your schedules and get your popcorn ready, folks, we've got two Game 7s on our hands Friday evening.First, the Colorado Avalanche will take on the Dallas Stars, and then the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights will battle to determine who meets the first game's winner in the Western Conference Final.These will be the first Game 7s of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's rather surprising we've reached this point, as the Golden Knights and Stars held 3-1 series leads.As the saying goes, anything can happen in a Game 7, so expect the unexpected. That said, here are some key storylines to monitor in each game that could have a major impact on which teams live to see another day.Hutchinson's heroics Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / GettyOf everything that's unfolded in 2020, Michael Hutchinson stealing a playoff series could be the most unexpected turn of events. The 30-year-old is the Avs' third-string netminder but has risen to the occasion since being forced to start Game 5 after Pavel Francouz's injury.Hutchinson - who had previously never made a postseason start - stopped 58 of 62 Dallas shots in his two wins this series. His sudden resurgence comes after he posted a dreadful .886 save percentage and 3.66 goals-against average across 15 appearances as a backup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.There have been several instances in NHL history where an unheralded goalie has carried their team to playoff success, but Hutchinson leading the Avalanche on a run would be one of the unlikeliest the league has ever seen. It's hard not to be impressed by the journeyman backup, who's played for four different teams over seven seasons. He's authoring a legitimate feel-good story and can earn some future security as a pending unrestricted free agent if he keeps it up.Demko's dominance Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / GettyWith the Golden Knights holding a 3-1 series lead and All-Star netminder Jacob Markstrom suddenly unfit to play, the Canucks appeared dead in the water. Enter Thatcher Demko, who put Vancouver on his back in victories in Games 5 and 6.Demko was the Canucks' backup all season and posted a .906 save percentage in 27 appearances. He made 43 saves in Game 5, followed by a 48-stop shutout Thursday in Game 6. Vegas heavily outplayed Vancouver in each of its attempts to close out the series, but Demko has been unflappable against consistent barrages from the Golden Knights' offense.In a one-game, winner-take-all situation, there's perhaps no greater advantage than a red-hot goaltender, so the Canucks have to be feeling confident they can pull off the upset against the top-seeded Golden Knights.If Demko does it again, it may set up a Cinderella matchup with Hutchinson for a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. File that one in the "who would have thought?" department.Who starts for Vegas? Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / GettyWhile Vancouver and Colorado ride waves of unforeseen goalie magic, Vegas finds itself embroiled in a controversy between the pipes with its season on the line.The sword picture Marc-Andre Fleury's agent tweeted at the outset of the series would hardly register as a story now if Robin Lehner had found a way to close out the series. In Vancouver's two most recent wins, Lehner has an .872 save percentage against only 39 shots. Does Peter DeBoer hope his No. 1 can find his game again in short order, or does he turn to Fleury as he did for the club's last back-to-back set?Despite owning a .893 save percentage in three appearances in the bubble, Fleury does have a case to earn the start. The veteran goaltender has more experience in high-leverage postseason games, including multiple Game 7 victories. He's also 12-2-2 lifetime against the Canucks.MacKinnon's magic Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / GettyNathan MacKinnon's been the most exciting player to watch this postseason. He's willed the Avalanche to several wins this summer and will look to do so again in Game 7.The MVP finalist is scorching hot. He tied Bobby Orr and Mark Messier for the second-longest point streak to start a postseason with an assist in Game 6. MacKinnon also became the first player to record 25 points in his team's first 14 postseason games since Wayne Gretzky in 1992-93.The 25-year-old's game has developed into appointment viewing, and hockey fans can only hope he's got another virtuoso performance up his sleeve for his club's biggest contest of the season.Can Stars' top line reappear? Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / GettyIt's been a Jekyll and Hyde series thus far for the Stars' top producers. Dallas' top trio of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov combined for just one point in the club's last two games after racking up 17 in the previous four contests.There's no question the Stars' big guns need to step up Friday night, especially against the MacKinnon line, which has shown no signs of slowing down."We can win games as a line," Seguin said after Game 6, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.Dallas can help its top players make an impact by staying out of the penalty box. The Stars gave the Avalanche six power plays in Game 5 and five in Game 6, significantly limiting their top line's ice time.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks avoided elimination for the second straight game on Thursday, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0 in Game 6.After turning aside 41 of 42 shots in Game 5, Vancouver netminder Thatcher Demko blanked the Golden Knights by denying all 48 of their shots. He became the first rookie goalie to win each of his first two career NHL playoff starts when his team was facing elimination since Jacques Plante in 1953, according to Sportsnet Stats.He also set the record for the most saves from a rookie in a playoff shutout."That’s hockey. It’s the best sport in the world for that reason, there’s a lot of ups and downs," Demko said of his team's gutsy win. "Backs against the wall, our guys are stepping up, but the job isn’t done yet.”There was a much better pace to the Canucks' game immediately in Game 6 compared to Game 5. Jake Virtanen opened up the scoring for Vancouver minutes into the first period. Then after a bit of a sloppy start, Vegas picked up its play and started to increase the pressure.Vegas continued to control much of the play during a scoreless second period. The Golden Knights outshot Vancouver 17-7 in the frame while holding a 68 Corsi For percentage. Counting back to the end of the first period, Vancouver nearly went 20 minutes straight without a shot on goal. But Demko stood tall, even with Vegas controlling the puck often.Following an impressive solo effort from rookie defenseman Quinn Hughes to open up the third period, J.T. Miller was able to score and put the Canucks ahead by two. Minutes later, Hughes wired home a slap shot, adding to the lead. Bo Horvat ended up scoring an empty-netter to cement the victory.After dropping two straight games, Vegas netminder Robin Lehner isn't downplaying his performance. With Marc-Andre Fleury rested and ready, it's unclear which goalie will start the pivotal Game 7."Whoever plays, plays. If I get to play, I'll do my best," Lehner said, according to NHL.com's Danny Webster. "I feel good out there. It's just the bounces aren't going our way right now."Demko, who looked visibly exhausted toward the end of Game 6, isn't worried about possibly playing Game 7 on such short rest."The only difference will be I might not skate tomorrow. That's how college was for me," Demko said, according to Webster. "It's nothing new for anyone in pro hockey. We've just got to prepare the same way."Game 7 is set for 9 p.m. ET on Friday, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers got a major emotional boost Thursday night.Oskar Lindblom made his return to the lineup for Game 6 against the New York Islanders.Both teams saluted Lindblom with stick taps before a faceoff in the first period.Lindblom had not played since his cancer diagnosis in December. He rung the bell for his final treatment in July and was added to the Flyers' postseason roster before the NHL's return to play.The 24-year-old practiced with the club in late June. He skated with his teammates in the bubble for the first time in August after completing his mandatory quarantine period upon rejoining the club for the playoffs.Lindblom last played on Dec. 7. He was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a type of cancer that affects bone or soft tissue.The Swede was tied for the team lead with 11 goals in 30 games at the time of his diagnosis.Philadelphia signed him to a three-year, $9-million contract extension on July 22.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier is out for Game 6 against the New York Islanders on Thursday, according to NHL.com's Brian Compton. The Flyers trail in the series 3-2.A knee-on-knee collision with Islanders forward Mathew Barzal late in the second period of Game 5 left Couturier injured.The 27-year-old has recorded two goals and seven assists in 14 games this postseason.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.