Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment (HBSE), the ownership group of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils, announced Monday it is pledging $20 million over the next five years to combat systemic racism, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.HSBE's company-wide plan includes a $10-million donation from the Sixers to the NBA and National Basketball Players Association's newly launched joint foundation. The foundation is intended to "drive economic empowerment for Black communities through employment and career advancement.""Looking at things from my perspective as a Black man in America, as an executive for HBSE, I really wanted to have action and more than just words. And that is what really excites me about this," Sixers general manager Elton Brand told Spears. "They were not just allies. They were going to another level in terms of being part of actual change."HSBE is also creating a program through which the Sixers and Devils will provide more than $5 million in marketing assets to Black-owned businesses."While we will never be able to correct the past harm and injustice faced by Black Americans, it's our duty to provide resources that enable tangible action and greater opportunities for equality," HBSE founder Josh Harris said in a statement, according to Kennedy Rose of the Philadelphia Business Journal."We are committing to a fundamental change in our business strategy by embedding our organization with Black communities and businesses through significant and sustained investment and support."Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Forward Chris Wagner and the rest of the Boston Bruins are in full support of Tuukka Rask's decision to opt out of the NHL playoffs."My initial reaction to people that bash Tuukka is that they don't know what we're going through and we don't know what those people are going through," Wagner said, according to NBC Sports Boston's Joe Haggerty.He continued, "They don't know what we're missing. I don’t have kids, so I can't speak for Tuukka like that. But I'm sure that is a whole other level of missing somebody and wanting to be there for your kid if they're missing you and struggling. I think Tuukka tried to power through that, but there are some things that he felt like he needed to sort out."Rask opted out Saturday and left the bubble in Toronto midway through his team's first-round series versus the Carolina Hurricanes. The 33-year-old explained that while he wanted to remain with his teammates, being with his family was more important.He was named a Vezina Trophy finalist for his performance during the 2019-20 regular season but struggled to perform at his usual elite level during the round robin and beginning of Round 1. Rask went 1-3-0 in four games, with a .904 save percentage and 2.57 goals-against average.Wagner understands that Rask's decision wasn't one he took lightly and that family should always be the No. 1 priority."I definitely think it was probably a difficult decision for him," Wagner added. "I think he wants to be here. He wants to win just like all of us, but at the same time - as guys have been reiterating - family is the most important thing. Even if it is a job and it is playing hockey, family comes before everything, and Tuukka felt like he needed to be home. We all support that decision."The Bruins lead the Hurricanes 2-1 in their series, with Game 4 scheduled for 8 p.m. on Monday.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 ended Sunday 1-1, and while the Stars were definitely deserving of the win, nothing about the Flyers-Canadiens game suggested the over was ever in play.Let's move on to Monday's slate, and I don't love the card here. There are a couple of Tuesday games I feel very strongly about, so tread a bit lighter today.Boston Bruins (-125) @ Carolina Hurricanes (+105)Game 3 was the worst the Hurricanes have played in the bubble, and it wasn't particularly close. They couldn't get anything going offensively and were expected to score just 0.93 goals at five-on-five. Their 1.75 expected goals for mark at all strengths was by far the team's lowest of the series.Carolina is much better than that. The club led the NHL this season in expected goals for and high-danger scoring chances (both per 60 minutes). Losing Andrei Svechnikov is undoubtedly a blow, but there's plenty of depth at forward and no shortage of scoring talent available to the Hurricanes. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour will light a fire under his team after such a poor Game 3 showing.The Bruins rallied around Jaroslav Halak in Game 3 following the departure of Tuukka Rask from the bubble, and Carolina will do the same in Svechnikov's absence. These things can energize teams, and the Canes will use Zdeno Chara's supposed slew foot on Svechnikov (it wasn't a slew foot) as a rallying cry in Game 4 while looking to even up the series.Pick: Hurricanes (+105)St. Louis Blues (-140) @ Vancouver Canucks (+120)The Blues already won their Stanley Cup, and now it seems they want to get the heck out of Dodge. St. Louis knows how difficult it is to win a championship, and the players just can't find the same motivation a year later. That's understandable given the circumstances after leaving their families to enter the bubble, and returning to play in empty arenas following a five-month hiatus.For a young, hungry team starving for success like the Canucks, the circumstances matter little. But for a club like the Blues fresh off its greatest achievement, finding motivation is surely a bit tougher. These guys are professionals and competitors, so I'm not suggesting they don't want to win. But there's a big difference between want and need, and for the Blues, the same intensity just isn't there.The Canucks have impressed in these playoffs, and I was a bit lower on them than I should have been. But in normal circumstances, the Blues undoubtedly would cruise through this series. However, Vancouver just wants it more now. With the embarrassment of a potential sweep gone for the Blues after an overtime victory in Game 3, the Canucks will put a stranglehold on the series Monday night.Pick: Canucks (+120)(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.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin underwent left elbow surgery and is expected to recover in three-to-four weeks, the team announced Monday.Malkin drew some criticism after the Penguins collapsed in the qualifying round earlier in August versus the Montreal Canadiens. He collected just one assist but managed 21 shots on goal in four games.The 34-year-old missed 14 games during the 2019-20 regular season, 11 of them due to a knee injury he suffered early in the campaign.Malkin was dominant during the regular season when he was in the lineup, amassing 25 goals and 74 points in 55 games.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

On Saturday, before the Chicago Blackhawks avoided getting swept, Mark Stone pickpocketed Duncan Keith at the Vegas Golden Knights' blue line and peeked over his right shoulder as he headed a counterattack. Breezing into the middle of the ice was William Karlsson, Stone's fellow penalty killer and the jewel acquisition - one of a few, anyway - of the 2017 expansion draft.Two backhanded flips of the puck followed: Stone's pass to his teammate, and Karlsson's shot beating Corey Crawford top shelf, nimbly executed on the rush as Keith and Kirby Dach trailed in helpless pursuit.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, an interview-style podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.Puck Pursuit · TSN host Gino RedaGino Reda, the longtime television host/anchor at TSN, joins the show to discuss a variety of topics, including:

It's safe to say Quinn Hughes is feeling it right now.The Vancouver Canucks phenom matched the longest playoff point streak by a rookie defenseman in NHL history with an assist during Game 3 against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night, according to NHL Public Relations.PlayerTeamYearGamesQuinn HughesVAN20206Al MacInnisCGY19846Zarley ZalapskiPIT19896Additionally, Hughes is the third rookie defenseman with at least nine points through his first seven playoff games, per Sportsnet Stats. He joins Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, who accomplished the feat with the Boston Bruins in 1980, and the legendary Gary Suter, who reached the mark in 1986 with the Calgary Flames.Furthermore, Hughes has tied Henrik Sedin for a Canucks franchise record with six consecutive postseason games with an assist, according to Sportsnet's Joey Kenward.Hughes is considered the frontrunner for the Calder Trophy after recording 53 points in 68 contests during the regular season, but it's clear his game has taken an additional step forward since the pause.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues started Jake Allen over Jordan Binnington in Game 3 against the Vancouver Canucks.Binnington, who played every game during St. Louis' Stanley Cup run a year ago, allowed nine goals on 47 shots in two losses to open the series against Vancouver.For his part, Allen was the superior goalie during the regular season.StatAllenBinningtonGP2450SV%.927.912GAA2.152.56GSAA11.233.31Additionally, forwards Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen were deemed unfit to play.It's worth noting that the Canucks and Blues play on Monday, too.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin got the start in Sunday's critical Game 4 versus the Calgary Flames.The Stars have deemed Ben Bishop unfit to play, according to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic.Bishop was also unavailable for Game 1. He started Game 2, then backed up Khudobin in Game 3.The nature of Bishop's issue is unclear due to the NHL's policy prohibiting the publication of injury details during the postseason.Jake Oettinger served as Khudobin's backup in Sunday's contest.Calgary entered the game leading the series 2-1.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour "highly doubts" forward Andrei Svechnikov will return this postseason after suffering an apparent leg injury in Game 3 versus the Boston Bruins, according to The Athletic's Sara Civian.Brind'Amour added that he doesn't have an official injury update yet, and that Svechnikov was undergoing an MRI.The 20-year-old was helped off the ice late in Saturday's clash after a battle with Zdeno Chara in front of the Bruins' net resulted in an awkward fall.

As Claude Julien recovers at home, fill-in head coach Kirk Muller said the club is in contact with him every day."We're touching base daily," Muller said at his press conference Sunday, per TSN. Yesterday was a good day for him to rest up, which was important. It was a day for us to rest up, it was an emotional few days around here."Julien was hospitalized Wednesday night after experiencing chest pains and had a coronary artery stented on Thursday afternoon. He's now home recovering in Montreal, and the Canadiens don't expect him back for the club's first-round series versus the Philadelphia Flyers.Muller has been an assistant with the Canadiens since 2016, and Montreal rallied to a 5-0 victory in Game 2 Friday under its interim bench boss.They will play Game 3 Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET.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.Some things just weren't meant to be on Saturday. The Blue Jackets fell short, and the Knights allowed a meaningless late goal, failing to cover the -1.5 spread. An 0-2 night ends our two-day perfection streak.We're now 6-4-1 overall in Round 1, but I love these two Sunday bets. Let's get back to our 2-0 days, yeah?Dallas Stars (-120) @ Calgary Flames (+100) The Stars face a pivotal Game 4 and only have themselves to blame, trailing 2-1 in the series. They had countless chances to open the scoring in Game 3 - and even pull ahead for that matter - but couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Tyler Seguin hit the crossbar twice, Alexander Radulov missed a wide-open goal, and John Klingberg couldn't hit the net on a huge chance in the second.Cam Talbot was excellent when the Flames needed him, but the series' first two games proved that his performance is too inconsistent. He can be erratic and easily-shaken as a goalie, but once he gets settled, he'll be tough to beat.The bottom line is there's been plenty to like about Dallas' play in this series, especially in Game 3's losing effort. The Stars had 37 scoring chances to Calgary's 13 on Friday, and they controlled 66.91% of the expected goals share at five-on-five (2.11 to 1.04).It's been a common theme throughout this series, and over the course of seven games, these things have a way of correcting themselves. The Stars may be trailing right now, but don't expect that to last very long.Pick: Stars (-120)Philadelphia Flyers (-145) @ Montreal Canadiens (+125)I was in on the Canadiens and the over in Game 2, and while we hit with the underdog pick, we had to settle for a push on the over in a 5-0 Montreal win. There wasn't a single offensive contribution from the Flyers, but that's not something that will happen very often, and it's the reason I'm going back to the well here.Expect a spirited response from the Flyers on Sunday with or without leading scorer Travis Konecny, who was helped into the dressing room after blocking a shot in Game 2. Philadelphia was out-worked and out-played but still generated an expected goals for mark of 3.23 on Friday, and will hopefully do its part to contribute to the over in Game 3.Defensively, the Flyers are showing an inability to cope with Montreal's speed and aggressiveness on the forecheck, so they'll have to start generating some offense. The Canadiens have what seems to be a bottomless pit of energy on the attack, posting 5.19 expected goals for at even - and 6.14 at all strengths - in this series.The emergence of youngsters Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki gives the Habs excellent depth at forward, while Jonathan Drouin and Max Domi appeared to get on track offensively in Game 2. Montreal will continue to find the back of the net here, and with Philadelphia doing its part as well, this game will comfortably surpass five goals.Pick: Over 5 (-130)(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 Tampa Bay Lightning put on an absolute clinic Saturday.Despite defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets by a modest score of 3-2, the Bolts put on a dominating performance in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series.The Lightning held the Jackets to a staggering seven shots in the final 45 minutes of the game, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.Tampa Bay ran into penalty trouble early in the game, as Pat Maroon, Zach Bogosian, and Blake Coleman were each docked two-minute minors in the opening 10 minutes. Columbus generated some chances, but couldn't capitalize on the power plays. Once the game returned to five-on-five, the Lightning took over.The Bolts finished the game by controlling 74.2% of the shot attempts at five-on-five and had 13 high-danger scoring chances compared to Columbus' two, according to Natural Stat Trick.Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella chalked it up to overall fatigue for his group, having played eight games in 14 nights. Three of those contests went to overtime, including the quintuple OT marathon in Game 1 of the Lightning series."That’s the kind of thing that determines it for me, is it wasn’t just one person," Tortorella said postgame, according to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. "It was a whole group of men that struggled tonight.”Game 4 is set for Monday at 3 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights netminder Marc-Andre Fleury got the start in goal for Saturday's Game 3 against the Chicago Blackhawks.Robin Lehner won the opening two games of the series while posting a .911 save percentage, but the Golden Knights have a quick turnaround with Game 4 scheduled less than 24 hours after Game 3 at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.The Golden Knights were without Paul Stastny for Game 3 after he was deemed unfit to play. However, Max Pacioretty made his return to the lineup following his absence from Game 2.Without Stastny, William Karlsson slid down to the second line and rejoined Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. Meanwhile, Chandler Stephenson centered the top line with Pacioretty and Mark Stone.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights put the Chicago Blackhawks on the brink of elimination Saturday with a 2-1 win in Game 3 to take a 3-0 advantage in the series.More to come.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes' Twitter account has no time for Jack Edwards' homerism.The Boston Bruins broadcaster tweeted that Andrei Svechnikov was at fault for the injury the forward suffered during Game 3.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov left Game 3 versus the Boston Bruins on Saturday late in the third period with an apparent leg injury.Svechnikov became tangled with Zdeno Chara, and teammates and medical staff needed to help him off the ice.

Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask will no longer take part in the ongoing Stanley Cup Playoffs, the club announced Saturday."I want to be with my teammates competing, but at this moment there are things more important than hockey in my life, and that is being with my family," the star netminder said in a statement."I want to thank the Bruins and my teammates for their support and wish them success," he added.Shortly thereafter, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney implied he wasn't blindsided."I don't think it's any big surprise to us. ... This has been a difficult decision for Tuukka, but the Boston Bruins are in full support of why he made this decision," the GM told reporters on Saturday.Sweeney added: "I think we all understand that these are trying times for everybody. The NHL's done a fabulous job of protecting the players' health and safety, but the priority for Tuukka at this point in time, rightfully so, has to be his family, and we support that."The GM also confirmed Rask's family is healthy and said the goalie's decision isn't related to any specific issue.The Carolina Hurricanes - who are facing the Bruins in the opening round of the playoffs - offered well wishes before Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.Don't let us get hot. Another sweep Friday (2-0-1 if we want to get technical) takes us to 6-1-1 over the last three days and 6-2-1 overall in Round 1 for a tidy profit.Let's fire up another perfect day, yeah?Tampa Bay Lightning (-185) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (+155)You can't say the Blue Jackets aren't living rent-free in the Lightning's heads. Regardless of the shot counts, scoring chances, or expected goals, Tampa finds itself in a dog fight once again. Columbus is making the Bolts work incredibly hard for every opportunity, every inch. And when they do get a chance, Joonas Korpisalo is having absolutely none of it.It took Tampa five overtimes to win Game 1, and the team didn't get anything going in a Game 2 loss. The Lightning have scored just three goals through 11 periods in this series, and you're kidding yourself if you don't think they're in their heads about it. It's a huge mental hurdle to overcome, especially given how last season's first-round matchup played out.The underlying metrics are fairly complimentary of Tampa through two games, but that's to be expected. Columbus will allow opponents to play in its end, but the damage is mitigated by stellar goaltending, countless blocked shots, and aggressive defending.The Blue Jackets also have a way of wearing teams down in the process. Their relentless forecheck is a nightmare to face and their physical play takes quite a toll. We saw it last year, we saw it in the play-in round against the Maple Leafs, and we're seeing it again now - the Jackets excel in a playoff setting. They come into this game brimming with confidence and are too good to pass up at this price.Pick: Blue Jackets (+155)Vegas Golden Knights (-200) @ Chicago Blackhawks (+170)If Dylan Strome's shot was half an inch lower, this series would be level. That's the drum Jeremy Colliton will be beating in the Blackhawks' dressing room ahead of Game 3. Chicago's head coach will cite bad luck as the reason this series isn't tied, delivering the "we can play with these guys" message over and over again.The reality, though, is that the Golden Knights are too strong, too deep, and too sound a hockey team. Luck may have abandoned the Blackhawks in overtime, but it was on their side for 60 minutes before it. Vegas was unquestionably the better team throughout regulation, controlling 67.03% of the expected goals share at even strength and nearly doubling the Blackhawks in high-danger chances (15-8).Chicago has plenty of nice pieces, but its defensive deficiencies are a real problem, especially against a deep and skilled Vegas team well-equipped to exploit them. This is a bit of a square bet, but the public wins from time to time as well.Pick: Golden Knights -1.5 (+130)(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.

If upsets are in the offing in the Western Conference’s round of 16, don't expect them to come courtesy of the Blackhawks or Coyotes.Spunky efforts kept those teams within a goal in Game 2 losses, but they won't ward off the inevitable. Chicago's defense is leaky - fodder for the Golden Knights' relentless attack. Darcy Kuemper's a tremendous goalie, but the Avalanche profit from mismatches everywhere else on the ice.Surprise play-in round victories were already more than Chicago and Arizona would have gotten out of a typical postseason. Soon their presence in the Edmonton bubble will be a bizarro memory.So the onus falls to the Canucks and Flames to try to prosper as underdogs out west. They've looked considerably more complete - defending tenaciously and scoring in droves most nights - than Edmonton and Nashville, higher seeds that the 'Hawks and 'Yotes vanquished in the qualifiers. And several days into the first round, they each have inside track on authoring momentous upsets of their own. Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagesThese Canadian clubs' paths to the Stanley Cup quarterfinals run through the offensive end. The Stars and Blues tend to lock it down defensively. Dallas netminders Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin form an elite tandem; St. Louis' Jordan Binnington ascended to that form at times during last year's Cup run. Yet the Flames and Canucks have gotten to them, helping deface save percentages that in Bishop and Binnington's cases now sit at .862 in this small playoff sample.They've employed different approaches to achieve this objective, a vital development against squads that are built to thwart and frustrate opposing playmakers and snipers. Friday's results - Calgary's 2-0 shutout of Dallas and Vancouver's 4-3 defeat of St. Louis in overtime - delivered them to within two wins of a common prize.Offensive opportunism is Vancouver's secret sauce. That the Canucks didn't put a shot on target over a 12-minute stretch of Game 2 conformed with the control the Blues exerted overall. That they won anyway was a testament to the speed with which their go-to players can strike.We saw it when Elias Pettersson went to work on the power play - first as his saucer pass set up Tanner Pearson for a one-timer in the slot, then as he batted an airborne rebound past Binnington. We saw it on two of the prettiest rushes Bo Horvat has ever converted: his undressing of Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz to open the scoring and his five-hole finish in overtime off Quinn Hughes' great breakout feed. Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagesIndeed, this brand of clinical play characterized all four Canucks goals - as it also did J.T. Miller's disallowed breakaway marker, the veteran straying a step offside in his haste to deke Binnington moments after he exited the penalty box.Already the Canucks have cashed five power-play goals in this series. Their best unit - Pettersson, Horvat, Miller, Brock Boeser, and Hughes - moves on a string, rotating rhythmically and passing with precision, waiting for gaps to open in danger areas. Accounting for all phases of the game, five Canucks have scored multiple goals this postseason, led by Horvat's six and Pettersson and Pearson's three apiece, with Hughes (one goal and seven assists) playing the part of expert orchestrator.Vancouver's quick-hit nature contrasts with the physicality and collectedness that St. Louis has used to generate way more shot attempts at even strength (107-72 overall, per Natural Stat Trick). The Blues don't waste chances to test Jacob Markstrom - or to body Pettersson and Hughes near the boards. Here, the Canucks' young stars have been opportunistic, too. Witness Pettersson drawing the interference penalty on David Perron that led to his goal, or Hughes accepting that this Tyler Bozak check was a reasonable trade-off to create Horvat's winner.While Vancouver's big guns have led the charge, the story of Calgary's start to the playoffs has been that of any and all sources scoring however they can.Thirteen Flames have tickled twine over seven games. In the city where Tobias Rieder infamously went scoreless in 2018-19 - becoming Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson's scapegoat of choice for a lost season - the German winger's potted two shorthanded breakaway goals. His second came in Game 2 against Dallas, the same night defensive rearguard Derek Forbort - who last scored in March 2019 - stunned the bubble by netting a knuckler from the point.Those depth contributions, a vastly different modus operandi from Vancouver's top-heaviness, have done a lot to compensate for the silence of Calgary's top two forward lines, whose six usual members still have yet to score on the Stars at even strength. Who would have guessed that that group's Game 3 breakthrough would come via a workmanlike shorthanded goal from Mikael Backlund? Or that T.J. Brodie's insurance tally would arise from - of all situations - a fourth-line faceoff win in the offensive zone? Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagesCalgary would be down in this series if those sequences didn't bear fruit - and, pertinently, if Cam Talbot wasn't spotless in net with 35 saves. Dallas absolutely slammed the Flames at five-on-five, doubling their shot attempts (56-27) and tripling their scoring chances (27-8), according to Natural Stat Trick. Astoundingly, those margins were 33-5 and 18-0 in the second period.Aside from his Game 2 stinker, Talbot's steadiness in the bubble has unquestionably been huge for Calgary. The Flames still needed someone to score to win, of course, and should their goalie falter, they've proven they have the manpower to MacGyver a solution.Similarly, the Canucks' defensive structure warrants mention before we move onto Game 3. By collapsing into a shell, jamming lanes, and blocking plenty of shots, the skaters in front of Markstrom have lessened the burden he'd otherwise face during the Blues' sustained O-zone time.But it's the offense that has them two games up on St. Louis, a defending champion on a five-game playoff skid. Against heavy pressure, Vancouver's performance suggests opportunism can be a lethal countermeasure - so long as the counter belongs to a team more talented than Chicago or Arizona.Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings have suspended the employee who portrays their mascot, the team announced Friday in a statement obtained by the Los Angeles Times' Helene Elliott.A female former member of the club's ice crew has filed a lawsuit alleging Tim Smith sexually harassed her, TMZ reported Thursday.In addition to his role as Bailey, the Kings' lion mascot, Smith also serves as the team's senior manager of game presentation and events.The Kings said Friday that Smith's suspension is effective immediately, pending the findings of an investigation by the club.The woman who filed the lawsuit said Smith made inappropriate sexual comments and unwanted advances toward her, leered at her breasts and buttocks, and ultimately fired her, according to TMZ. She is not identified in the lawsuit, but she reportedly joined the ice crew in 2018.She later returned to her position after a different club official begged her to come back and acknowledged Smith's behavior, according to TMZ. She claims Smith continued to harass her after she rejoined the team, leading her to permanently resign.The woman is suing Smith, the Kings, and their parent company, Anschutz Entertainment Group. She is seeking over $1 million in damages.Smith has worked for the team since 2007. A dishwasher sued Smith in 2017, claiming Smith grabbed his buttocks in a Staples Center elevator. That case was settled in 2018.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Calgary Flames agitator Matthew Tkachuk did not play in Game 3 against the Dallas Stars due to an undisclosed injury.Tkachuk left Game 2 after he was sandwiched by Jamie Benn and Jamie Oleksiak.

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is heating up. Here are three key takeaways from the Eastern Conference games on Friday's schedule, which included a 5-0 pounding of the Philadelphia Flyers by the Montreal Canadiens and a decisive 5-2 New York Islanders victory over the Washington Capitals.Relentless Ovi not enough Elsa / Getty ImagesIf Alex Ovechkin's nifty goal 56 seconds into the first period and the subsequent noisy celebration didn't convince Barry Trotz and the Islanders that Relentless Alex Ovechkin came to play Friday night, what followed certainly did.On his next shift, right in front of the Isles' bench, Ovechkin blurted out what sounded like an "oh, c'mon!" loud enough for everyone in Scotiabank Arena to hear after a linesman accidentally halted a potential odd-man rush for him and linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov. That fieriness deep inside Ovechkin - which was not always present in the Caps' four previous postseason games - didn't really leave until the final buzzer sounded. He looked every bit like a man on a mission."We needed a big game from him tonight," Caps head coach Todd Reirdon said postgame. "He's physical, he's able to convert a couple of different ways for us. I thought he had a strong game from his perspective and we need more players like him that are playing to the top of their level."Alas, Ovechkin - who scored both Caps goals - couldn't propel his squad past New York all by himself. The Isles now lead the best-of-seven series 2-0.Full marks to New York for dictating the pace and style of play in Game 2. The Islanders put Washington on its heels for most of the night, mercifully carrying out textbook coach Trotz hockey: smothering, physical, and unified."They're very disciplined and they stick to it throughout the game," Caps defenseman John Carlson said of the Isles, who gave Washington only two power-play opportunities. The Caps, meanwhile, were the opposite of disciplined, gifting the Isles five power-play chances. They shot themselves in the foot, twice getting assessed a minor for too many men.Ovechkin, who skated for more than 22 minutes in the loss, managed to record 10 shot attempts, including six that reached New York goalie Semyon Varlamov. Ovechkin had laser focus, deployed his trademark short, chopping strides, and yapped away. Leo Komarov, one of the Isles' better defensive wingers, tried to glue himself to the Russian's hip as best as he could, but Ovechkin bounced around the rink like a ball of energy.Maybe too much energy. Ovechkin's best chance in the third - a wide-open shot off a back-door feed from Kuznetsov - hit the side of the net."I just missed it," he said. "Shit happens."Habs must bottle this Chase Agnello-Dean / Getty ImagesMax Domi hit the bullseye following the Canadiens' dismantling of the Flyers on Friday. In his media availability, Domi noted the commanding 5-0 Game 2 win was both "just one game" and "a huge step in the right direction for us."Couldn't have said it better myself for a Habs team that finds itself tied 1-1 with a really strong Philadelphia squad despite selling pieces at the trade deadline. Without head coach Claude Julien, who is back in Montreal recovering from a health scare, the Canadiens displayed their true potential as a collective against the Flyers.Goalie Carey Price was flawless, turning aside all 30 Philadelphia shots. Montreal's forwards played with a sense of urgency and completed passes with precision from the opening faceoff onward, accounting for the game's first 12 shots on goal and 32 total. Tomas Tatar and Jesperi Kotkaniemi both scored twice, while Domi seemingly flew up and down the ice on every shift."We got our butts kicked today in all facets of the game," Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. "They outworked us, outplayed us, and outexecuted us.""We're doing it in numbers," is how Kirk Muller, Montreal's associate coach and Julien's temporary replacement, explained his group's inspired showing. In Muller's eyes, everyone who dressed for the Canadiens on Friday played well. That gave him the freedom to roll out four forward lines and three defensive pairs. The Flyers simply had no answer for a team that played like a wrecking ball, especially when Habs captain Shea Weber was on the ice."It's nothing new," Ben Chiarot, Weber's defensive partner, said of his teammate's domination. "This is something he's done his whole career. We're talking about 14, 15 years of being one of the best defensemen in the NHL."It was one of those games where the better team had more giveaways (18-9 for Montreal) because it had the puck the whole time. The Canadiens eventually chased phenom Carter Hart from the Flyers' net before running over backup Brian Elliott moments later. Bottling up this emotional, well-earned win for Julien will be the tricky part, and it's no small task given Montreal is usually no world-beater."When we stick to our game plan," Domi said, "we skate, we have everyone going, and we're a very tough team to play against."The key word there is "when."Don't sleep on Suzuki Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesColumbus Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois is enjoying a postseason coming out party thanks to four goals and four assists in seven games. So is Miro Heiskanen, the Dallas Stars blue-liner who's opening eyes across the continent with a combination of effortless skating, defensive prowess, and swagger with the puck. Kotkaniemi, who's bagged four goals to pace Montreal, would also count as a breakout player.What about Nick Suzuki, though? The unflappable Canadiens rookie should be in the conversation as one of the best up-and-comers of the restart. He's arguably been as impactful as Kotkaniemi.Suzuki, who was drafted 13th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Draft before being sent to Montreal in the Max Pacioretty trade, has one goal and two assists in six games. However, his contributions are mostly subtle, extending beyond the boxscore.The 21-year-old ranks second in ice time among Montreal forwards, skating for 19 minutes and 46 seconds per night. The coaching staff trusts Suzuki, just 77 games into his NHL career, to play in any and all situations: up a goal, down two goals, on the power play, on the penalty kill, at even strength, whatever."Suzy's starting to tap into playing some big minutes against some high-level talent on the other side," Domi said following Friday's win. "It takes a lot of confidence to do that. It's a tough job to do. He showed it in the first round and he's showing it again, tonight and in Game 1."Suzuki has mainly faced off against difficult assignments in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kevin Hayes thus far, yet he's been on the ice for just one goal against at even strength and has a plus-2 rating. A responsible pivot, he has terrific poise and above-average hand-eye coordination. He's already the rare NHLer that coaches never have to worry about - a master of the little things who is more than willing to, for instance, take a pounding body check to get the puck out of harm's way. And it doesn't hurt that he has some scoring touch, too, as evidenced by his 13 goals and 28 assists in 71 regular-season games.Suzuki will be lucky to sneak into the top five in Calder Trophy voting. The 2020 rookie class was deep, starting with super studs Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar, and continuing with Dominik Kubalik, Adam Fox, John Marino, Elvis Merzlikins, and Victor Olofsson, plus a few others. But the probable top-five snub shouldn't discount what Suzuki has accomplished both during the regular season and his breakout postseason.John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alain Vigneault has a bone to pick with Kirk Muller.The Philadelphia Flyers head coach was not happy when the Montreal Canadiens' No. 1 power-play unit hopped over the boards with just over two minutes remaining in the third period with the Habs leading 5-0 in Friday's Game 2."We had embarrassed ourselves enough. I'm not sure we needed to be embarrassed more," Vigneault said postgame, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.Flyers captain Claude Giroux also took note."Yeah, I saw it, but ... no comment on that," he said.Muller, the associate coach who's running the Canadiens in Claude Julien's absence, defended the decision."It's the playoffs," Muller said.Muller added that Montreal's struggling power play needed the practice and said he wouldn't have done it in a regular-season game, according to TSN's John Lu.The Canadiens held on to the 5-0 victory, evening the series at one game apiece.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Another one of the CHL's member leagues is aiming to restart play in early October.After discussing the matter with provincial governments and public health agencies, the QMJHL said Friday it hopes to begin its next season on Oct. 1, 2020. In Quebec, games will be played without fans in attendance, while talks are ongoing regarding the teams in the Maritime provinces.The league contains clubs based in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.Training camps will begin Aug. 30, with a maximum of 34 players per team. The league plans to hold a 60-game regular season, featuring only inter-divisional play between squads broken into three six-team groups. They will determine the playoff format in December.The QMJHL canceled the rest of its regular season and its 2019-20 playoffs in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, as did the OHL and WHL.The WHL said in June that it's aiming to resume play on Oct. 2. The OHL announced last week that it is pushing back the 2020-21 start until Dec. 1.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Connor McDavid knows at least one area that the Edmonton Oilers must improve on this offseason."Teams that win are the teams that defend," McDavid said Friday, according to The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman. "We haven't figured that out yet."After a promising regular season in which the Oilers finished with the fifth-best record in the Western Conference, Edmonton was unable to advance past the 12th-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in the qualifying round.McDavid and teammate Leon Draisaitl, who finished first and second in the league in regular-season points, respectively, were on the ice for six goals for and five goals against at even strength during the qualifying series.Edmonton finished the regular season with the 14th-best goal differential in the league at plus-8. Only Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Matt Benning managed a positive plus-minus rating.Defenseman Darnell Nurse insisted the team as a whole has to improve next season."Everyone is pissed off about it," Nurse said, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector. "You can beat yourself over the head with it for weeks. Is that going to bring you back in a better mind frame?"He added, "There's a taste in everyone's mouth that no one likes. We've had it four out of five years here. We need to be better."Despite a promising leap during the regular season, the Oilers have now failed to reach the round of 16 for the 13th time in their last 14 campaigns. They last made the playoffs in 2017, where they were eliminated in the second round.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban, and New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist are the finalists for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the league announced Friday.The award is handed out annually to the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community." The winner will be revealed during the upcoming conference finals.Dumba, along with several other current and former NHL players, recently co-founded the Hockey Diversity Alliance in response to the ongoing civil unrest across the United States. The 26-year-old also spearheaded a number of fundraising initiatives over the last year, including efforts to fight against COVID-19, aiding wildfire relief in Australia, and helping to rebuild Minnesota following riots and protests after the death of George Floyd.Subban was one of the first major athletes to donate to a fundraiser for George Floyd's daughter. His $50,000 led to other contributions from athletes worldwide. Additionally, through the P.K. Subban Foundation, the 31-year-old initiated several charitable efforts this year. He continued his "Blueline Buddies" program, which brings together local police and youth to attend Devils games.Lundqvist and his wife, Therese, have raised over $3.2 million since the creation of the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation in 2014. Their initiatives through the foundation continued this year during the fight against COVID-19. Lundqvist donated $100,000 to help feed New Yorkers, which provided 68,000 meals and aided 8,000 children and their families.The winner of the award will receive a $25,000 donation from the NHL Foundation to benefit a charity of his choice. The two runners-up will receive $5,000.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.A clean 2-0 sweep on Thursday improves us to 4-2 in Round 1, and we're steaming ahead into a busy weekend.Here are another couple of winners for Friday, both at plus-money to boot.Montreal Canadiens (+135) @ Philadelphia Flyers (-155)Game 1 of this series was an absolute treat. It started slow, but things kicked into high gear midway through the first period and didn't sputter. Carter Hart and Carey Price impressed, and each team's offense showcased its strengths. A lot of bad puck luck and very strong goaltending combined to keep the game so low scoring, with the Flyers winning 2-1.Artturi Lehkonen whiffed on about four quality scoring chances, while Brendan Gallagher and Paul Byron were also snakebitten in front of the net. Nick Suzuki hit the post, as did Claude Giroux. Price made a miracle save on Scott Laughton, and Nate Thompson missed an open net. Game 1 was a wildly entertaining affair with a rather deceiving low score. It just as easily could have ended 5-4.Despite taking the loss, the Canadiens produced the most offense in Game 1, posting a 2.56 expected goals for mark at even strength while creating 15 high-danger chances. Montreal controlled a 57.81% share of the expected goals at five-on-five in Game 1, and that's not an outlier. The Habs were the league's second-best team in expected goals percentage at five-on-five during the regular season, while the Flyers finished 12th.Montreal can control the balance of play if the Habs stay out of the box. As the playoffs intensify, refs tend to let things go a bit more, which will benefit the Canadiens. At this price, there's great value in them to even the series in what should be an exciting Game 2.Pick: Canadiens (+135), Over 5 (-130)New York Islanders (+110) @ Washington Capitals (-130)The Islanders completely stifled the Capitals in Game 1. Washington was expected to score just 0.87 goals at five-on-five, compared to 1.68 for the Islanders, who owned a remarkable 69.93% share of the expected goals at even strength.The Capitals struggled significantly in that regard during round-robin play, too, managing just 3.74 expected goals for at five-on-five while allowing 4.88. Both of their Game 1 goals came on the power play, and they were otherwise thoroughly outplayed.And now they will be without one of their best offensive players in Nicklas Backstrom, who left Game 1 and didn't return following a hit from Anders Lee. If the Islanders can avoid penalties, it's hard to see a different outcome in Game 2.Pick: Islanders (+110)(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.

Claude Julien is headed home.The Canadiens head coach will travel to Montreal on Friday after undergoing the stenting of a coronary artery at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital on Thursday afternoon, the team announced.Doctors expect Julien to make a full recovery.The 60-year-old was taken to hospital Wednesday night after experiencing chest pains, which Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin made clear had nothing to do with COVID-19.Bergevin said Thursday afternoon that associate coach Kirk Muller would assume head coaching duties, and the club doesn't expect Julien back during its first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers.On Friday, Muller relayed a conversation he had with Julien on Thursday night.

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is well underway. Here are key takeaways from two of the four games on Thursday's schedule, which featured the Vegas Golden Knights' 4-3 overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks and the Columbus Blue Jackets' 3-1 triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning.Vegas doesn't let it slip away Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesOn paper, this is the biggest mismatch of the first round, and it's not particularly close. Vegas is one of the few true Stanley Cup contenders, and Chicago is a flawed team that is rather lucky to still be playing hockey in 2020 after finishing with a 32-30-8 regular-season record.History tells us the Golden Knights are most dangerous when they're attacking in waves, and the Blackhawks are disorganized and porous on defense. Reilly Smith's overtime goal in Game 2 - which sealed a 4-3 victory for Vegas after it coughed up a 2-0 lead - exposed the extreme stylistic differences:

Boston Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask isn't feeling the typical intensity of postseason action without fans in the building."To be honest with you, it doesn't really feel like playoff hockey out there," Rask told reporters following Thursday's 3-2 loss."There's no fans so it feels like playing an exhibition game," he added.The Vezina Trophy candidate said the traditional playoff format has helped build some excitement but that fans bring a crucial element to the competition."You play a best-of-seven series so there's going to be some battles going on and whatnot, but when you play at your home rink and you play at the away rink, and there's fans cheering for you and against you, and it creates a buzz around the series," he said. "So there's none of that, so it just feels dull at times."Rask made 23 saves in the Game 2 defeat as the Carolina Hurricanes evened the series at one game apiece. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak didn't suit up in Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, but the undisclosed injury doesn't appear to be serious."We don't believe it will be long term," head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters postgame, adding the forward will be a game-time decision for Saturday's Game 3, per NBC.Pastrnak tallied one goal and one helper while playing nearly 25 minutes in Boston's Game 1 overtime victory. However, he appeared to be laboring while celebrating Patrice Bergeron's OT winner.

Dallas Stars netminder Ben Bishop is in goal for Game 2 against the Calgary Flames on Thursday after being deemed unfit to play for the series opener Tuesday.Bishop, 33, has started just one game since the postseason began, allowing four goals on 32 shots in a 5-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights during round-robin action.Stars backup Anton Khudobin made 23 saves in a 3-2 loss to Calgary in Game 1.Bishop was one of the most consistent puck-stoppers in the league this season, recording a 2.50 goals-against average and .920 save percentage over 43 starts.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Former Nashville Predators defenseman Dan Hamhuis is hanging up his skates after 16 NHL seasons."Happily going into retirement now from hockey," the 37-year-old said Thursday, according to TSN1040 Vancouver. "Feel real at peace with it."The 6-foot-1 veteran said he made the decision in February to either play one year in Europe for the family experience or retire, and the COVID-19 pandemic took the former option off the table.Hamhuis was drafted by the Predators in 2001 and spent his first six NHL seasons with the club. He then played six seasons for the Vancouver Canucks and two for the Dallas Stars before returning to Nashville on a two-year deal ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.The British Columbia native tallied eight assists over 60 games with the Predators this season. He ranks seventh all time in games played (600) for the franchise.Over 1,148 NHL contests, Hamhuis racked up 59 goals and 356 points while averaging 21:21 of ice time per game.He also earned a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights sniper Max Pacioretty has been deemed "unfit to play" for Thursday's Game 2 against the Chicago Blackhawks, the team announced.Pacioretty did not accompany the team to Edmonton for the round robin as he was rehabbing a minor injury. However, he entered the bubble ahead of the round of 16 and played over 18 minutes in Game 1 versus Chicago.The 31-year-old led the Golden Knights with 32 goals and 66 points during the regular season.Chandler Stephenson is expected to take Pacioretty's spot on Vegas' top line alongside William Karlsson and Mark Stone.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets forwards Cam Atkinson and Nathan Gerbe were held out of the lineup for Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday after the team deemed them unfit to play.Devin Shore and Emil Bemstrom drew into the lineup.Atkinson accumulated 39:49 minutes of ice time in the marathon Game 1, while Gerbe played 17:23. Their injuries remain unknown as both players managed to finish the contest and took shifts throughout.In six games this postseason, Atkinson has posted two goals and three assists. Gerbe, who's only appeared in two contests so far, has gone pointless.Bemstrom appeared in three contests prior to Game 2, also recording no points. Shore made his postseason debut.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom will not play in Game 2 of the team's series against the New York Islanders on Friday, head coach Todd Reirden announced Thursday, according to Samantha Pell of The Washington Post."He is in protocol," Reirden said.Backstrom exited Game 1 after taking a hard hit from Islanders captain Anders Lee early in the first period. Backstrom tried to play a few shifts after the collision but was ultimately unable to continue.

Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien was taken to hospital after experiencing chest pains and is expected to miss the remainder of the club's first-round series, general manager Marc Bergevin announced Thursday, according to Arpon Basu of The Athletic.Julien was behind the bench for Game 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday and is undergoing tests to determine his condition. Assistant coach Kirk Muller will assume head coaching duties in his absence.Bergevin confirmed Julien's condition isn't related to COVID-19, adding that initial results seem promising."There was some positive news. Hopefully, he can be ready shortly and go back home," Bergevin said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.Julien, 60, has been an NHL head coach since 2002-03 and began his second stint with the Canadiens during the 2016-17 season. He's also coached the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins, winning the Stanley Cup with the latter in 2011.The Canadiens finished the 2019-20 campaign as the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference but advanced to the round of 16 with an upset victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round.Montreal trails Philadelphia 1-0 in their current series, with Game 2 scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nashville Predators general manager David Poile insists he's open to anything that will improve his team ahead of the 2020-21 season."Some players aren't going to be brought back. ... We're not satisfied, and going to make some changes. We have to manage better, John (Hynes) and his staff have to coach better, and players have to play better," Poile said, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale."All options are on the table for making our team better for the 2020-21 season," he added, according to the team's director of digital and radio, Thomas Willis.The Predators were knocked out of the qualifying round after falling to the Arizona Coyotes in four games. Nashville has failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.Poile criticized the team's second line, which often featured Matt Duchene, Kyle Turris, and Mikael Granlund. Duchene, who inked a seven-year, $56-million deal last summer, managed only 42 points in 66 regular-season games and two points in four postseason contests."The second line was a weak point of our team," Poile said. "They did not get it done."Poile did praise the play of Norris Trophy candidate Roman Josi and the resurgence of his top line comprised of Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, and Viktor Arvidsson.Nashville has just six players in need of new contracts this offseason, including forwards Granlund and Craig Smith as well as defensemen Yannick Weber and Dan Hamhuis.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Amid the uncharted waters of the NBA and NHL playing postseason games in a bubble in August, the aural and visual experience has been different for fans as well.As the NHL begins its round of 16 playoff series and the NBA prepares to do the same next week, our feature writers reflected on what's caught their eyes and ears from these alternative operations.Officially in the loopBetween the virtual fans, empty baseline, and a new courtside camera angle, NBA games have looked different inside the Disney World bubble to everyone watching at home.But my favorite amendment to the broadcasts isn't aesthetic. What I've enjoyed most is the ability for officials to explain a contentious call directly to viewers, to tell us what they're reviewing and how they came to their decision. The league should never go back.In a pre-bubble world, viewers would often have to rely on the play-by-play announcer to relay the official's explanation or to hope that courtside mics picked up the conversation with the broadcasters and PA announcers. Sometimes, if a referee's decision was controversial enough, the crew chief would make a postgame statement to the media through a designated pool reporter.Reporters can still request further clarification on controversial calls, but it has been awesome to hear officiating decisions explained in real time and for the television audience to hear it before the coaches and players in some instances.Fans often haggle over the ins and outs of certain rules, so this also serves as an educational lesson, whether about a specific detail within a commonly used rule, delivering new knowledge about an uncommon rule, or adding insight into how referees interpret them. A more educated viewer is a more engaged viewer.NBA referee David Guthrie (foreground). Garrett Ellwood / NBA / Getty ImagesSometimes the inside look backfires. During the Aug. 3 game between Toronto and Miami, referee David Guthrie explained he didn't call a flagrant foul on the Heat's Goran Dragic for blatantly tripping OG Anunoby because an injury didn't occur - which obviously isn't supposed to be a determinant for that decision. Basketball Twitter exploded, and Guthrie clarified to the media after the game that an injury, in fact, should not be the deciding factor.Whether or not this added exposure lessens the anti-officiating conspiracy theorists, at least it provides an avenue of accountability directly to the fans.On a lighter note, after referee Zach Zarba explained a replay decision during a game earlier this week, TNT reporter Jared Greenberg noted that Zarba's fellow officials had been razzing him by a Disney World pool for looking directly into the television camera when explaining his decisions.It was a silly throwaway in the middle of a seeding game, but it was also a reminder that hearing directly from the officials can help humanize the men and women who often find themselves as the most hated people on an NBA court.It's often said the best officials are the ones you don't notice during games. But there's also something to be said for fans and viewers coming to appreciate the attention to detail, consistency, and professionalism the best refs exhibit. - CasciaroThe sounds of silenceThe NBA on TV has looked and sounded more or less like the same old NBA to me. I don't mind the piped-in crowd noise as much as I thought I would, and I'm honestly surprised at how effective the fan video boards are at creating the illusion there are spectators in attendance. Using the unique sounds and game-ops gimmicks that the "home" teams use in their own arenas is a nice touch. I can't say I've missed the times when broadcasts cut away from game action to show fan reactions.Most of the time, I find myself easing into the familiar patterns of NBA game-watching and completely forgetting the players are performing in an empty gym. There are times I'm wrenched out of that sense of familiarity, like when the broadcast shows a zoomed-out wide shot of the entire arena during timeout breaks, providing a jarring reminder of how small the venue is. There's a disconnect between the spectacle I've come to associate with NBA basketball and the notion of it essentially being produced on a sound stage.When dramatic moments occur, like Devin Booker's buzzer-beating game-winner against the Clippers last week, or Damian Lillard's insane fourth quarter against the Mavericks on Tuesday, it's still strange to miss out on the full-throated fan reaction to which I've grown so accustomed. But there's nothing the league can do about that, and given the circumstances, the gameplay presentation has been about as good as I could've hoped for. Bill Baptist / NBA / Getty ImagesI do have a couple of small quibbles: For one, I'm against the gimmicky camera angles, and even though the broadcasts have used them sparingly, I still wring my hands any time they switch to the courtside tracking view, which is almost always partially obstructed and provides little to no sense of what's happening on the far side of the floor.The games have also been plagued by an uptick in both common foul calls and technical fouls. One theory that's been regularly posited regarding the former is that without the ambient crowd noise, it's easier for refs to hear contact that isn't evident to the naked eye. The same is likely true of the techs - the refs are simply picking up everything the players are saying. Steven Adams predicted this phenomenon before the seeding games began."You see, we like to talk behind their backs," Adams told ESPN's Royce Young. "But they can actually hear us now. So there's going to be a lot more Ts."But while the refs are hearing more of what the players are saying, the viewers are not, thanks to both the artificial crowd noise and the delay that allows the broadcasts to mute out language they deem inappropriate. I'd probably pay an additional League Pass subscription fee to be able to hear the broadcasts unedited. Not only to hear more of the banter and trash talk between the two teams, but so I could determine whether the players are getting their money's worth with these technicals, or whether the refs are being overly touchy. - WolfondLife imitates artI'll admit, when the NHL released an instructional video about the restart on July 23, a week before the start of the qualifying round, I was skeptical. Included in the marketing material was a rendering of what the games would look like without fans in the building. The aesthetics were ambitiously sharp for a league that's not exactly known to be outwardly creative. The real thing also rarely resembles the artist's rendering, and that's without the logistical challenges.With the qualifying series and seeding games wrapped up, I'm pleasantly surprised by the game presentation. Those sleek grey tarps, gigantic vertical LED video screens, and the commanding silver NHL logo stationed in the lower bowls of Rogers Place in Edmonton and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto look almost identical to the rendering. The visual package has proven to be an effective way of blocking out empty seats and keeping the viewer's eyes focused on the action. Andre Ringuette / Getty ImagesAnd that's the key to all of this: There's no need for gimmicks when fans have been deprived of the product for months. Give the people the playoff hockey they know and love and get out of the way. There may have been an urge to add bells and whistles, and I'm sure there were conversations between the league and its broadcast partners about spicing up the experience, but I think they've hit the right notes for the most part.I could live without the digital, prerecorded fans who appear on the rinkside screens to cheer "Let's Go Lightning!" and other generic chants. That addition to the game presentation feels uninspired, something the NHL probably did as a nod to fan engagement.I also find it odd that the visiting team's goal song plays whenever they score. And that phony hat toss after Connor McDavid's hat trick? Lame. But, again, not a big deal. Those are minor gripes. The dad jokes have made up for it, anyway, with "Still overtime" and "Thank You Fans" appearing on the in-arena digital signage at appropriate times. Nicely done there, NHL.

Washington Capitals head coach Todd Reirden called out New York Islanders captain Anders Lee for his hit that knocked Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom out of Game 1 on Wednesday."It was a late hit on a player who wasn't expecting it," Reirden said, according to The Washington Post's Samantha Pell. "It was predatory."Lee caught Backstrom with a hard hit just minutes into the game and was immediately met by Capitals rearguard John Carlson. Lee was handed a minor for interference, while he and Carlson were both assessed roughing penalties in addition.

Nicklas Backstrom's day came to a premature end several shifts after New York Islanders winger Anders Lee caught the Washington Capitals center with a hard hit Wednesday.Lee hit Backstrom early in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series, after which Washington blue-liner John Carlson immediately came to his teammate's defense.

TORONTO (AP) Josh Bailey scored a shorthanded goal 6:52 into the third period and the New York Islanders overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Wednesday in a hard-hitting opener to the first-round playoff series.Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee scored 1:54 apart spanning the second intermission. Semyon Varlamov stopped 24 shots and Anthony Beauvillier sealed it by scoring with 8:05 remaining in a game the Islanders overcame their own lack of discipline in allowing the Capitals seven power-play opportunities.T.J. Oshie scored on consecutive power-play opportunities five minutes apart in the second period for Washington.The Capitals finished the game without top-line forward Nicklas Backstrom. Lee set the physical tone of the game by knocking over Backstrom with a late hit in the opening minutes, which led to the Islanders captain fighting Washington defenseman John Carlson. The Capitals did not provide any details in announcing Backstrom would not return after playing seven shifts.Carlson had two assists in returning after missing three preliminary round games with an injury. Braden Holtby stopped 23 shots.Bailey and Brock Nelson caught the Capitals' power-play napping in scoring the go-ahead goal, and Leo Komarov off for high-sticking.Nelson began the play by lobbing the puck high into the air from the Washington blue line. He then raced in and disrupted Holtby's bid to play the puck. Nelson then stripped Alex Ovechkin in the corner before centering to a wide-open Bailey in front, from where he fired it inside the left post.The Metropolitan Division champion Capitals were coming off a sluggish performance in a preliminary round-robin tournament in which they finished 1-1-1, managed just five goals and closed with a 2-1 win over Boston on Sunday.The Islanders were the more tested team in eliminating the Florida Panthers with a 5-1 win in Game 4 of their best-of five series on Friday. New York outscored the Panthers 13-7 and allowed just three goals in even-strength situations.Eberle began the comeback by scoring on a snapshot from the high slot with 63 seconds left in the second period. Lee tied the game 51 seconds into the third by converting a rebound in front, and after Holtby stopped Ryan Pulock's blast from the right point.Oshie opened the scoring 5:27 into the second period with Matt Martin off for interference. And he made it 2-0 five minutes later with Eberle off for hooking.The game between the division rivals got off to a chippy start starting with Lee's hit on Backstrom.A few minutes later, New York's Casey Cizikis and Washington's Tom Wilson traded punches as part of a scuffle in front of the benches, which began with Capitals Dmitry Orlov's hit on Cal Clutterbuck.The period ended with Wilson and Lee trading punches after the whistle.In having to kill off three power-play opportunities in the first period, the Islanders matched a franchise playoff low for shots in being outshot 7-2 over the first 20 minutes. New York managed two shots in one period twice before in the playoffs, both times against Washington in 1984 and '85.The game started just after 4 p.m., an hour later than scheduled after overtimes played havoc with the East's first-round schedule.Game 1 of the series between Boston and Carolina was pushed back from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning after the Tampa Bay Lightning needed five overtimes to beat Columbus. And then it took the Bruins 21:13 of OT to edge the Hurricanes 4-3.NOTES: Isles D Johnny Boychuk returned after missing three games of the first-round series against Florida. He was injured in Game 1, when he was shouldered to the head by Panthers D Mike Matheson. ... Beauvillier extended his point streak to five games, in which he has four goals and two assists. ... Before the game, the Capitals unveiled grey hoodies with a '' We Skate For EQUALITY '' printed on the front around a team logo, and worn by Holtby, Ovechkin and Carlson.UP NEXTGame 2 scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. EDT.---For more AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-SportsCopyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Washington Capitals have their Norris Trophy finalist in the lineup once again.John Carlson was deemed good to go for Game 1 of the Capitals' opening-round playoff series against the New York Islanders, his club confirmed prior to puck drop.The 30-year-old missed all three of the Capitals' round-robin games after suffering an injury late in an exhibition win over the Carolina Hurricanes on July 29.He led all NHL blue-liners with 75 points during the regular season and topped all Washington skaters in ice time, logging 24:38 per game.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas came to Mitch Marner's defense during Wednesday's season-ending press conference, insisting the incessant criticism facing the star forward isn't warranted."I don't get the criticism of Mitch Marner one bit," Dubas said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton. "I really struggle with it. Everything that he does wrong, people jump all over him about it. I don't know how or why it's that way. It's among the most idiotic things I see done here."Marner posted 67 points in 59 regular-season games in 2019-20 after a highly publicized offseason contract negotiation netted him the seventh-richest contract in the NHL.The 23-year-old added four assists in Toronto's five-game elimination at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets but is facing plenty of heat as a core player of a club that has failed to win a playoff round in each of the past four years.Marner himself said his game during this postseason didn't quite meet his standards."The first game, I wasn't engaged at all, in the physicalness of play at all," he said. "And then from that point on, I felt like I got a lot more engaged and playing as my old self ... but zero goals isn't going to get the job done."Teammate Auston Matthews said earlier Wednesday that the Maple Leafs' consistent inability to progress past the first round is "embarrassing."Despite Toronto's yearly playoff struggles, there doesn't appear to be wholesale changes on the horizon, as club president Brendan Shanahan stated he has complete faith in Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe to get the Leafs over their postseason hump.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Presumptive 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere won't report to camp with the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic as he intends to train at home and report to his NHL team when the time comes, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports.Lafreniere won't attempt to play in Europe, either, McKenzie adds.The QMJHL canceled the remainder of its 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is targeting a return in October. European leagues are also set on returning sooner than the NHL, which has tentatively scheduled its 2020-21 campaign to begin in December.If the NHL season doesn't begin by early 2021, Lafreniere and his NHL club will weigh available options, according to McKenzie.The New York Rangers won the draft lottery Monday and are likely to select the Quebec-born phenom.Lafreniere enjoyed an extraordinary draft year, becoming the first to win CHL Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons since Sidney Crosby. Lafreniere posted a whopping 112 points in 52 games for Rimouski and added 10 points in five contests at the world juniors en route to a gold medal and tournament MVP.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.Dillon Dube went full Theoren Fleury and then the Tampa Bay Lightning needed about 12 hours to win Game 1, so we didn't even get to the other game in the East between the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes - and we're taking the Bruins in that one.Round 1 had an eventful start - to say the least - and thanks to the overtime delay, we get a bonus game on Wednesday.In addition to our bet on the Bruins, here's what else we've got for this slate.New York Islanders (+110) @ Washington Capitals (-140)This matchup is a tough draw for the Capitals, who do some of their best work on the rush. They will be vulnerable against an Islanders team that excels at slowing attacks similar to Washington's. New York plays a gritty brand of hockey and is well-equipped to frustrate the Caps.Offensively the Islanders aren't designed to light the lamp, but they have many capable scorers up and down their roster. Their scoring-by-committee approach gives reason to believe they will find success on the attack in this series, given Washington's defensive deficiencies and question marks in goal.Regardless of how the series as a whole plays out, Barry Trotz is a man I'm comfortable backing in Game 1. Not only will he have his squad ready to run through a brick wall, but he'll have devised a tidy game plan to frustrate the Capitals' attack and exploit their defensive weaknesses. Plus, Washington playing without Lars Eller and quite possibly Norris candidate John Carlson only adds fuel to the fire. It's the perfect storm for the Isles, who steal Game 1 in what should be a very tight series.Pick: Islanders (+110)Vancouver Canucks (+125) @ St. Louis Blues (-160)The Canucks' reward for beating the Wild is a date with the defending Stanley Cup champions. They played a strong game, which has started to turn a few doubters - including me. Most important, though, was Jacob Markstrom's form. The 30-year-old was stealing games for the Canucks, and that's what they'll need from their netminder if they want to beat the battle-tested Blues.St. Louis was particularly poor in the qualifying round, but I'm putting little stock into that display. Much like the Bruins, this team is more than capable of turning it on when games really matter. The Blues are very well-coached and play a style conducive to playoff hockey - designed to frustrate and suffocate young teams like the Canucks. Even with Vancouver's star power up front, chances will be tough to come by.Between a pair of teams backed by excellent goaltenders, the first to three goals will win what should be a hard-fought Game 1.Pick: Under 5.5 (-130)(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.

For the fourth consecutive year of the Auston Matthews era, the Toronto Maple Leafs failed to win a round in the postseason, and the feeling isn't getting easier to bear for the face of the franchise."Having a good regular season isn't cutting it anymore," Matthews said in his season-ending press conference, per the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan. "We have to figure out the playoffs. Four years in a row is a little bit embarrassing."The Leafs entered this year's expanded playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference after an up-and-down campaign in which the club struggled to find consistency after a head coaching change in November. Toronto was then eliminated from the postseason in the qualifying round Sunday after a shutout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 5.In Matthews' rookie year, the Leafs challenged the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in a hard-fought six-game series that featured five overtimes. Since then, the Leafs have been considered contenders in the Eastern Conference, but they subsequently flamed out in seven games to the Boston Bruins in 2018 and 2019.While clearly frustrated, Matthews believes he and his teammates have what it takes to go on a deep playoff run."This core believes we're right there," he said, per TSN's Kristen Shilton. "We don't really care what other people think, or how far away other people think we are. ... We're going to power through this adversity and we'll break through eventually."Veteran defenseman Jake Muzzin, who won a Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, believes the same."The will to win has to burn a little hotter than the other stuff. Once we find that, we'll be dangerous," he said, according to The Athletic's Joshua Kloke.The Leafs' postseason frustrations extend well beyond their current core of stars, as the club hasn't won a playoff series since 2004.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will not renew the contracts of assistant coaches Mark Recchi, Sergei Gonchar, and Jacques Martin, the team announced Wednesday."We are in the process of conducting a review of our organization because we have underperformed in the playoffs the last few years," general manager Jim Rutherford said in a statement. "We just thought we needed to change the dynamic of our coaching staff."We have very high standards here in Pittsburgh, and we want to continue competing for Stanley Cups. The message to our fans is that ‘We are not rebuilding, we’re re-tooling.'"The Penguins finished fifth in the Eastern Conference but were eliminated from the qualifying round by the 12th-seed Montreal Canadiens in four games, prompting Rutherford to promise change within the organization.Pittsburgh also had a highly disappointing playoff showing in 2019, having been swept by the New York Islanders in Round 1.All three assistants were with the Penguins for the club's back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.Recchi joined Pittsburgh - where he played for seven seasons during his Hall of Fame career - in 2014 as a player development coach. He became an assistant coach in 2017.Gonchar also had a lengthy playing career with the Penguins before joining the club as a coach in 2015 and was in charge of the club's defense.Martin was a head coach for four different teams from 1986-2012 before joining the Penguins as an assistant in 2013.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Lightning and Blue Jackets played the fourth-longest game in NHL playoff history Tuesday. These five numbers shaped Tampa Bay's 3-2 victory, which ended at 10:27 of the fifth overtime.––––––––––2 - Offsides Tampa avoided before the winning goalSo much about this historic Game 1 pops off the stat sheet. The end is as good a place as any to start breaking it down, with a subtle sequence that would have gone unnoticed had Brayden Point not scored later in the play.Tied 2-2 midway through overtime No. 5 - as the game had been since the first minute of the third period - Point and Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard combined to push the puck to the point off a contested faceoff in Columbus' end. The disc skittered past Tampa's Kevin Shattenkirk, but he reached back to save it on the blue line. Off Shattenkirk's dump-in, Point retrieved possession behind the net, looped back under dogged pressure from Riley Nash, and again kept the puck in the offensive zone by the slimmest of margins.