The 35-year-old is dealing with an undisclosed injury. Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice said he didn't think it was a long-term issue when asked about it after Game 1 on Wednesday. Stastny also missed that contest.
Stastny, who played all four of the Jets' opening-round games against the Edmonton Oilers, skated briefly Friday but left the team's optional practice early, according to The Athletic's Murat Ates.
Winnipeg's top center, Mark Scheifele, was suspended four games for charging Canadiens forward Jake Evans in Game 1. Evans suffered a concussion on the play and was stretchered off.
Now that the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is in the books, it's time to evaluate the eight remaining clubs. Here's how we rank the squads that qualified for Round 2:
8. Montreal Canadiens
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty
One would be hard-pressed to find any reputable expert who predicted the Canadiens would prevail over the Toronto Maple Leafs in their opening-round series, and Montreal certainly deserves credit for that. But this team was the worst postseason squad entering Round 1, and that distinction remains accurate despite its improbable triumph in seven games.
7. New York Islanders
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
The Islanders' upset win over the East Division champion Pittsburgh Penguins in six games was impressive, but lackluster play from Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry aided them greatly. New York's second-round opponents play a strong defensive game just like the Islanders do, so the East's No. 4 seed must prove it can beat a more balanced club in Round 2.
6. Boston Bruins
Boston Globe / Boston Globe / Getty
The Bruins also made a statement in Round 1 after a somewhat disappointing regular season by their standards. Boston knocked out the higher-seeded Washington Capitals in five games while allowing only two goals per game in the first-round series.
5. Winnipeg Jets
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
The Jets earned a lot of respect after sweeping a higher-seeded Edmonton Oilers club led by Connor McDavid, the Hart Trophy favorite, and Leon Draisaitl, who won that award last season. Three of the games went to overtime - including the clincher, which required three extra frames - but Winnipeg overcame its defensive question marks with elite play in goal and strong performances up front.
4. Vegas Golden Knights
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It took the Golden Knights seven games to eliminate the Minnesota Wild, and Game 1 of Vegas' second-round matchup illustrated this team has its hands full against the No. 1 team on this list. But the Golden Knights remain deep and skilled, having posted as many points in the standings as their second-round foes during the regular season. So don't count them out just yet.
3. Carolina Hurricanes
Gregg Forwerck / National Hockey League / Getty
The Hurricanes proved their Central Division title was no fluke by defeating the Nashville Predators in six games, but now a much tougher test awaits. Carolina's officially the higher seed against the next squad on these rankings due to regular-season play, but the Canes' second-round opponents were missing one superstar for all 56 of those contests and another for the final month.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
Eliot J. Schechter / National Hockey League / Getty
The Lightning needed six games to eliminate the upstart Florida Panthers, but perennially feared Tampa Bay remains one of the NHL's most dangerous squads. Despite the inferior regular-season record compared to the Hurricanes, this team shouldn't be considered an underdog now that Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos are both dominating again since returning from significant injuries in time for the playoffs.
1. Colorado Avalanche
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This one is a no-brainer, as the high-octane Avalanche swept the St. Louis Blues with ease despite Ryan O'Reilly boldly predicting the 2018-19 champs would beat Colorado. It wasn't close at all, really - the Avalanche won all four games by three goals or more while scoring at least four goals in each contest and netting five or more in three of them.
This team further proved its mettle with a 7-1 rout over the Golden Knights in Game 1 of their second-round matchup, but they've been the Stanley Cup favorites for a while now, and that remains the case.
Sheldon Keefe believes there's no reason why the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn't have avoided blowing a 3-1 series lead and getting eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens in their first-round series.
"We were in a good spot and didn't close it out," the Maple Leafs head coach said following a 3-1 loss in Game 7 on Monday night, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle. "We added enough pieces and depth to be able to deal with those (injury) situations, so there's zero excuses."
Keefe also expressed just how deeply the loss affected his team.
"Really hard to put it into words. We're obviously devastated (and) disappointed," he said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton. "(We) expected better of ourselves, and we think we're capable of a lot more, not just (Monday night) but through the whole series."
In fact, Keefe revealed the team was so distraught he opted not to speak to them as a group afterward.
Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews - who earned the 2021 "Rocket" Richard Trophy with 41 goals during the regular season but scored just once in the series - also conveyed his disappointment.
"I'm not really sure how to sum it up. It's extremely frustrating all around," the dynamic center said.
Mitch Marner, whose giveaway allowed Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher to score the opening goal of Game 7, took some responsibility for his lackluster play.
"I just have to make sure that it stops happening," Marner said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
The Maple Leafs were playing without two key players. John Tavares was stretchered off in Game 1. The Toronto captain sustained both a concussion and a knee injury on the play and was later ruled out for the series. Defenseman Jake Muzzin exited Game 6 after appearing to pull something and missed Game 7 after being ruled out for at least three weeks.
Toronto acquired forwards Nick Foligno and Riley Nash in separate deals at the trade deadline, as well as defenseman Ben Hutton. Foligno dealt with an injury of his own during the series, while Nash barely played and Hutton did not suit up in this postseason.
The Maple Leafs claimed the North Division title and entered the playoffs as the division's top seed. Montreal finished the regular season with the worst record among postseason clubs and earned the North's No. 4 seed as a result.
Reaves was assessed a match penalty for attempting to injure Graves during a scrum in the third period of Colorado's 7-1 victory in Game 1 of their second-round series Sunday.
The NHL said both Reaves and the Golden Knights admitted his behavior was in retaliation for Graves' earlier hit on Mattias Janmark, which forced the Vegas forward to leave the game.
"While some of the actions taken by Reaves could be sufficiently penalized by the on-ice officials, the totality of Reaves' actions combined with the game situation and the retribution involved in the play necessitates supplemental discipline," the league said.
Reaves was previously suspended one game for hitting Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte in the head during Game 7 of their second-round series last year.
Game 2 between the Golden Knights and Avalanche is scheduled for Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
Following Tampa Bay's 2-1 win over Carolina in Game 1 on Sunday, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said the forward is "very, very doubtful" to suit up during the best-of-seven matchup, according to the team's senior editor, Michael Smith.
Niederreiter was a late scratch for Sunday's game due to an upper-body injury. He played all six of Carolina's first-round contests against the Nashville Predators, scoring the game-winner in the opener.
The 28-year-old left Saturday's practice early and didn't return. Brind'Amour labeled him questionable for Game 1 after Sunday's morning skate before ruling him out just prior to puck drop.
Niederreiter ranked second on the team with 20 goals over 56 games during the regular season. His 0.36 goals per game were a career high over a full campaign, and he also collected 14 assists.
The Swiss winger has spent two-plus seasons with the Hurricanes, who acquired him from the Minnesota Wild in a trade for forward Victor Rask in January 2019.
"I can't," the forward said postgame, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton. "That's unacceptable (at) this time of year."
The veteran forward, who returned for the contest after missing the previous three with an injury, tried to put a positive spin on the defeat.
Nick Foligno said he "knows it's not what the fanbase wants to hear right now" but that sometimes situations like these, "it happens for a reason, sometimes this is what catapults you."
"We just didn't come ready to play at the start of the game," he said. "We really do have to start on time because it's getting said a lot, and it's not good enough."
Montreal outshot Toronto 15-9 in the first period, with Corey Perry and Tyler Toffoli scoring to give the Canadiens a 2-0 lead in the third. The Leafs rallied to tie it with two late markers before Jesperi Kotkaniemi won it near the end of the first overtime.
Toronto outshot Montreal 43-31 in the game, but the Habs controlled the five-on-five expected goals share 51.33% to 48.67% in the opening frame and 69.27% to 30.73% in the second, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Vegas Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer gushed about Max Pacioretty's impact when asked about his star forward, who scored the game-winner in Game 7 to help eliminate the Minnesota Wild on Friday night.
"Just writing his name on the board for the lineup, I think, gave the group a lift," DeBoer said after his team's 6-2 win, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger. "It changed everything, about our confidence ... to score."
Pacioretty gave the Golden Knights a 3-2 lead with this goal midway through the second period.
— NHL on NBC Sports (@NHLonNBCSports) May 29, 2021
The 32-year-old, who played 16:28, didn't appear to be fully healed during the game.
There's no way Max Pacioretty is even close to 100%. He was hunched over during that last break, but he's putting in a heck of a shift tonight for the Golden Knights. #VegasBornpic.twitter.com/RbQaDO2fZD
"I turned the corner a couple days ago," Pacioretty said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal's David Schoen. "A lot of people behind the scenes were helping me around the clock. ... That was a big reason why I was able to play (Friday night)."
The veteran winger suited up for the first-round matchup's decisive contest after missing the first six games of the series and the final six of the regular season with an undisclosed injury.
Pacioretty led the Golden Knights with 24 goals prior to the playoffs in 2021, despite being limited to 48 contests.
Wayne Gretzky is leaving the Edmonton Oilers, relinquishing his role as vice chairman effective Tuesday.
"Given the pandemic and other life changes, I realize I will not be able to dedicate the time nor effort needed to support this world-class organization," the 60-year-old wrote on Twitter.
Gretzky rejoined the Oilers as a partner and vice chair in October 2016, many years after achieving legendary status with the club as a player. He worked closely with team owner Daryl Katz and CEO Bob Nicholson during his latest tenure with the team.
"The Great One" enjoyed the best years of his illustrious playing career with Edmonton, winning four Stanley Cups and accomplishing the majority of his otherworldly offensive exploits.
ESPN reportedly approached Gretzky recently about a broadcasting role. He hadn't dismissed the network's advances, but his level of interest was unclear. One day later, it was reported ESPN was out of the running for his services and that he could still land at TNT. The latter is the other network taking over the NHL's U.S. TV rights next season.
Rask is a pending unrestricted free agent. He's in the final season of an eight-year, $56-million pact inked with the club in summer 2013.
The 34-year-old goaltender helped the Bruins eliminate the Washington Capitals over five games in the first round of this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs. He posted a .941 save percentage and three goals saved above average while starting every game in the series.
Rask raised his game in that matchup - albeit over a small sample size - after producing a .913 save percentage over 24 contests during the regular season. He's spent his entire 14-year career with Boston, claiming the Vezina Trophy in 2014 and finishing as the runner-up last year.
In March 2020, the Finnish netminder said retiring when his contract ends is a possibility.
Jaroslav Halak, the Bruins' other primary puck-stopper, is also a pending UFA. He's carrying a $2.25-million cap hit and authored a .905 save percentage over 19 regular-season games this campaign. Jeremy Swayman, a 22-year-old rookie, went 7-3-0 with a .945 save percentage and 10 GSAA over 10 games with Boston this season.
