McAvoy was handed a two-minute minor for the illegal check to the head on the play. Anderson was shaken up after the second-period hit but stayed in Monday's contest. The Blue Jackets went on to lose the game and series.
The 21-year-old sophomore has been the backbone of a strong Bruins' blue line this postseason, logging a team-high 322 minutes - 26 more than any of his teammates - and mostly against the opponent's top talents.
Playing in his second NHL season, this is the first time McAvoy has faced supplemental discipline.
Rod Brind'Amour appears to have an appreciation for Allen Iverson's most memorable quip.
The Carolina Hurricanes' head coach did his best impression of the NBA Hall of Famer on Tuesday when asked about forward Jordan Martinook's status ahead of the Eastern Conference Final against the Boston Bruins.
Tuesday is the 17th anniversary of Iverson's legendary rant in which the former Philadelphia 76ers guard repeatedly said "we talkin' about practice."
Brind'Amour and Iverson played in Philadelphia during a three-and-a-half season stretch in the late '90s.
The Hurricanes' bench boss suited up for the Flyers from 1991 to 2000, and he was traded to Carolina about two-and-a-half years before Iverson's rant.
The third-period horn at Nationwide Arena on Monday night sounded the end to the Columbus Blue Jackets' season, and thus kicked off the most compelling offseason in franchise history.
"Moving forward we want guys who are proud to be Blue Jackets, proud to be living in Columbus, and loving it here," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told The Athletic's Tom Reed after Monday's series-ending defeat to the Boston Bruins. "It's really important that they bleed blue. Guys that don't want to be here - good luck."
Bobrovsky wrapped up his seventh season with the Blue Jackets and ranks first in franchise history in wins, goals-against average, save percentage, shutouts, and many other major goaltending statistics.
"I'm definitely thankful for everything I had here," he told NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "I won my two Vezinas here. I think the hockey is growing here in Columbus. It is fun to watch and it was fun to be part of.”
Panarin has been in Columbus for just two seasons but managed to make quite an impression. His campaigns of 82 and 87 points are the two best single-season marks in franchise history.
"Who knows," Panarin told TSN's Frank Seravalli when asked if he'll be back next year. "I not think about that."
With those contracts coming off the books, Columbus projects to have just over $30 million in cap space for next season. In addition to aforementioned names from the Blue Jackets' roster, this free-agent class has the potential to be one of the deepest in recent memory.
The third-period horn at Nationwide Arena on Monday night sounded the end to the Columbus Blue Jackets' season, and thus kicked off the most compelling offseason in franchise history.
"Moving forward we want guys who are proud to be Blue Jackets, proud to be living in Columbus, and loving it here," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told The Athletic's Tom Reed after Monday's series-ending defeat to the Boston Bruins. "It's really important that they bleed blue. Guys that don't want to be here - good luck."
Bobrovsky wrapped up his seventh season with the Blue Jackets and ranks first in franchise history in wins, goals-against average, save percentage, shutouts, and many other major goaltending statistics.
"I'm definitely thankful for everything I had here," he told NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "I won my two Vezinas here. I think the hockey is growing here in Columbus. It is fun to watch and it was fun to be part of.”
Panarin has been in Columbus for just two seasons but managed to make quite an impression. His campaigns of 82 and 87 points are the two best single-season marks in franchise history.
"Who knows," Panarin told TSN's Frank Seravalli when asked if he'll be back next year. "I not think about that."
With those contracts coming off the books, Columbus projects to have just over $30 million in cap space for next season. In addition to aforementioned names from the Blue Jackets' roster, this free-agent class has the potential to be one of the deepest in recent memory.
Here are four takeaways from Ken Holland's introductory press conference as general manager and president of hockey operations with the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Full autonomy
As reported in the days leading up to the announcement, Holland will have full autonomy over the entire hockey operations department. He said he wouldn't have come to Edmonton if this wasn't the case.
How quickly will Holland use this power within the organization? Who, if anyone, from the "Old Boys Club" is safe? Given his scouting background, will he overhaul this department? How many executives from the Detroit Red Wings' front office will he bring over?
Time will tell how long it takes for Holland to start leaving his fingerprints on the organization, but priority No. 1 will be finding a new head coach to replace Ken Hitchcock.
'Sacrifice'
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Holland used the word "sacrifice" more than a handful of times during his press conference, but one particular statement stuck out.
"One of the things I've asked my players through the years is to sacrifice," he said. "Go to the minors, spend extra time in the minors, take a little bit less money. It's about sacrifice. If you're going to win everyone has to sacrifice a little bit."
Holland also preached that he wants players to be "overripe" when they come to the NHL. This indicates that youngsters such as Evan Bouchard, Kailer Yamamoto, and others may be asked to spend a full season in the AHL.
Contractually, most of Edmonton's core is locked up, with one exception: Darnell Nurse is set to become a restricted free agent after next season. When his time comes for an extension, will he be asked to take a pay cut to help fit all the pieces of the puzzle together? If so, will he oblige?
Eyeing playoffs right away
Holland said he wants sustained success, but he also made it clear that the goal is to be a playoff team next season.
Making the postseason in 2019-20 is a daunting task, to say the least. Not only has Edmonton not made the playoffs in the last two seasons, but the team hasn't even been within striking distance, missing out by more than 10 points each time.
Holland will have roughly $12 million in cap space to work with. That may seem like a lot, but the Oilers have many holes to fill to become a playoff team, and $12 million might not cut it.
A genuine enthusiasm
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Holland is reportedly getting $25 million over five years, and while that was certainly a significant factor in taking the job, it doesn't appear - at least on the surface - to be his main source of motivation.
The 63-year-old had a boyish enthusiasm as he addressed media members at Rogers Place. His demeanor suggested a first-time GM, not somebody who's held that position for the last 22 years.
Even after Yzerman replaced him in Detroit less than a month ago, Holland said he envisioned being a "Red Wing for life." He mentioned to Red Wings owner Chris Ilitch that he might get "restless" to become a GM again one day. Apparently, he got restless much sooner than he thought.
It's clear Holland loves being a GM and is genuinely excited for his new challenge.
The Edmonton Oilers announced former Detroit Red Wings executive Ken Holland as the eighth general manager in club history during a press conference Tuesday.
Holland will oversee all hockey operations with full autonomy, reporting directly to CEO Bob Nicholson.
The 63-year-old's first task will be finding a new head coach. He announced during his presser that Ken Hitchcock will not return behind the bench.
Holland added that he hopes to keep Keith Gretzky in the organization. Gretzky served as the club's interim GM after Peter Chiarelli was fired in January.
The Vernon, British Columbia, native captured three Stanley Cups and four Presidents' Trophies during his 22 years as Red Wings general manager. In total, he spent 36 years in the organization, initially serving as a scout before moving up the ranks to director of amateur scouting, assistant GM, and eventually, GM in 1997.
During his tenure, the Red Wings were known as one of the top drafting teams in the NHL. They most notably selected Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in the sixth and seventh round in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Finding late-round gems was an integral part of Detroit's 25-season playoff streak.
Holland, who said Tuesday that he had envisioned finishing his career with the Red Wings, was replaced by Steve Yzerman in April. Despite losing the position, Holland initially agreed to stay on as senior vice president and signed a multi-year extension in Detroit before he was approached by Nicholson about the Oilers job.
Ken Hitchcock will not return as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, reports TSN's Darren Dreger. There's a "decent possibility" the 67-year-old stays with the organization as an advisor, Dreger added.
Hitchcock replaced Todd McLellan behind the bench following Edmonton's 9-10-1 start to the 2018-19 season. He appeared to turn things around with a 9-2-2 record in his first 13 games with the Oilers, but the team went 17-26-6 the rest of the way.
An Edmonton native, Hitchcock is third on the NHL's all-time wins list.
On Monday, the final multi-game night of the NHL season, the hockey world was gifted a pair of captivating Game 6s - the Boston Bruins' series-clinching 3-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Colorado Avalanche's 4-3 overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks to force Game 7.
Based on the final scores, those teams are Monday's winners and losers. At a personal level, though, who won and lost? Let's take a look.
Winner: David Backes
Backes is 36 years old. He'll make $6 million per season through 2020-21.
Usually, this is a problem for the Bruins. Despite being paid like a first-liner, Backes is a non-factor on most nights. The big winger is typically unable to keep up with the league's abundance of speed and skill, or he's dealing with an injury, or both.
But none of that mattered Monday, because Backes - who cracked coach Bruce Cassidy's lineup for only the third time in six games against Columbus - scored Boston's third goal in front of 19,219 rivals fans at Nationwide Arena. And while the veteran skated for fewer than nine minutes in the contest, he managed to make his presence felt on virtually every shift.
Everybody loves a redemption story - in this case, a previously solid player finding solid footing again. Even if it's just for one night.
Winner AND loser: Charlie McAvoy
McAvoy delivered a high hit on Jackets forward Josh Anderson at the end of the second period, but was sentenced to just two minutes in the box for an illegal check to the head. The on-ice officials chose to not hand out a match penalty and didn’t have the authority to issue a five-minute major or a game misconduct, according to Rule 48 guidelines.
Kirk Irwin / Getty Images
Columbus didn't score on the ensuing power play, and Boston advanced to the third round. So, for the moment, McAvoy's a winner.
In a day or two, though? He'll probably be on the losing end of the incident.
The NHL's Department of Player Safety will strongly consider supplemental discipline, seeing as McAvoy's main point of contact was Anderson's head. The Bruins defenseman could very well be suspended for Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
(Speaking of Bruins stars behaving badly, what was that Marshawn Lynch impression from Brad Marchand all about?)
Winner: Jarmo Kekalainen
OK, this one requires a nuanced explanation.
Kekalainen is obviously unhappy with Monday’s result. The Blue Jackets GM wanted nothing less than a Stanley Cup, and his team is no longer in contention. He's not a winner in that sense.
However, he's absolutely a winner given the team's unlikely trip to Game 6 of the second round. The final contest will be a mere footnote in the grand scheme of things.
Jamie Sabau / Getty Images
After all, Kekalainen essentially put his job on the line by holding onto Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky - pending free agents who'd stated their intentions to test the market this coming summer - and acquiring assets ahead of the trade deadline.
Columbus wasn't guaranteed a playoff spot then, and didn’t punch its postseason ticket until the second-last day of the regular season. The Jackets could have easily missed it altogether, but instead they swept juggernaut Tampa Bay to mark the franchise's first-ever series win before pushing Boston to six games.
The trades for Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid, and Keith Kinkaid didn’t work out, but the Matt Duchene swap certainly paid off. You can live with the whiffs when Duchene puts up 10 points in 10 postseason games.
Kekalainen energized the Central Ohio market with five playoff home dates. Even in defeat, he's been vindicated and - quite ironically, given the thin ice he stood on a few months ago - might be due for a promotion.
Loser: Sharks' 3rd line
San Jose's forward line of veteran Joe Thornton between Marcus Sorensen and Kevin Labanc had performed admirably this postseason, putting up a combined 17 points in 12 games coming into Game 6.
The trio's been coach Pete DeBoer's under-the-radar weapon for a few months and offers the bench boss another look on offense. Despite being 39 years old, Thornton drives a sneakily efficient unit.
Unfortunately for San Jose, Game 6 produced a whole lot of nothing for the line. In 10 minutes of five-on-five play, the group scored no goals and allowed one. Meanwhile, Labanc recorded the lone shot among the three skaters. It was arguably their worst showing of the playoffs.
That's what you call getting neutralized by the opposition.
Winner: J.T. Compher
Aside from Tuukka Rask's fine work in the Bruins' crease, Compher was the MVP of Monday's doubleheader. Quite simply, the dude came to play.
Michael Martin / Getty Images
In 15 minutes of ice time, the 2013 second-rounder exploded, doubling his playoff point total overnight. Compher set up Tyson Jost for the opening goal and then sniped the Avalanche's second and third tallies. It was his second career three-point game. What's more, the right-handed center paced the club in five-on-five shot attempts differential, at a sleek 56 percent.
Coach Jared Bednar needs Compher and the rest of the Avalanche's bottom-nine forward group to chip in here and there. As always, Nathan MacKinnon was buzzing in Game 6, but his line can't carry the team every step of the way. The puck won't always go in for Colorado's big guns.
Wednesday's Game 7 is going to be an outright battle. The Avs, a young outfit, will need their secondary scorers to contribute. Compher included.
Loser: NHL officiating
It's going to happen ... isn't it?
The Stanley Cup Final is going to be decided on a dramatic call made by either the on-ice officials or the NHL's Situation Room.
That's a guess, of course. Yet, at this point, it feels like a perfectly fair prediction.
There have been reviews galore through nearly two rounds (and hey, better to get the call right slowly than wrong quickly, right?), which seem to be turning off a portion of the league's fan base.
Plus, we had the Cody-Eakin-on-Joe-Pavelski blunder in Game 7 of the Vegas-San Jose first-round series, and now the McAvoy-on-Anderson miscall in Game 6 of the Boston-Columbus matchup.
While the refs are human and make mistakes, the outside world is pretty cruel. And to be honest, can you blame it?
Golden Knights fans don't care that the NHL apologized for giving Eakin a five-minute major. Their team is out.
Jackets fans don't care that McAvoy might get suspended. Their team is out.
What will happen next? Hopefully nothing. Then again, based on how things are trending, don't bet on it.
