The Tampa Bay Lightning may have suffered a major blow despite earning a dramatic victory over the New York Islanders in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday night.

Brayden Point left the contest early in the second period and didn't return. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said postgame that he didn't have an update on the 24-year-old's condition, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith.

Point entered Game 2 leading all NHL players still competing with 23 points this postseason.

Tampa Bay prevailed 2-1 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 series lead thanks to Nikita Kucherov's winner with 8.8 seconds remaining. The Lightning finished the contest with only nine forwards following Point's injury and Alex Killorn's ejection for boarding Islanders forward Brock Nelson.

The Lightning are already playing without injured captain Steven Stamkos. The superstar center hasn't suited up for a game since Feb. 25.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top bench boss for 2019-20, the league announced Wednesday.

John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Alain Vigneault of the Philadelphia Flyers were the other finalists.

More to come.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pierre McGuire will not be the Arizona Coyotes' next general manager.

The NBC broadcaster is no longer a candidate for the position, a league source told NHL Network's Craig Morgan on Wednesday.

It was reported Saturday that McGuire had spoken with the team about the job.

McGuire has been a full-time analyst with NBC since 2011 and a broadcaster since 1997. He has coaching, scouting, and front-office experience, but he also carries baggage.

NBC temporarily demoted McGuire last fall after he had a series of awkward on-air exchanges with fellow broadcaster Kendall Coyne Schofield in January 2019.

After the Hartford Whalers fired McGuire following his brief tenure as their head coach in 1994, team captain Pat Verbeek called it the best thing that could have happened to the club. Verbeek also revealed that other teams mocked McGuire, and that his teammates had no respect for the then-32-year-old bench boss.

The Coyotes have reportedly interviewed several other candidates, including former Arizona goaltender, coach, and executive Sean Burke, and Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM Jason Karmanos. However, interim GM Steve Sullivan has apparently made calls with other clubs about possible trades while the Coyotes were looking into hiring his potential replacement.

Arizona's previous GM, John Chayka, terminated his contract in July, prompting the club to accuse him of quitting on the organization ahead of the postseason.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Despite pulling Anton Khudobin for the final 20 minutes of the Dallas Stars' 3-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night, Rick Bowness says his veteran goaltender isn't at fault for the defeat.

"Oh gosh, not at all," the Stars head coach told the assembled media, including Fox Sports Southwest, postgame. "We (gave him) a breather."

"Anton was the only reason it was 3-0," Bowness added. "Without Anton, (it's) 6-0 after the second period."

The Golden Knights outshot the Stars 27-12 through two periods, including a 19-7 edge in the middle stanza.

Khudobin stopped 24 of those 27 shots, but Bowness gave him the rest of the night off with Dallas trailing 3-0 in the second intermission. Jake Oettinger made his NHL debut in relief, recording five saves on as many shots over the final 20 minutes.

The Stars have ridden Khudobin in these playoffs. Including Tuesday's game, the 34-year-old has played 16 of Dallas' 18 postseason contests, starting 15 of them. He was 9-5 with a .914 save percentage in the 2019-20 playoffs entering Game 2.

Golden Knights netminder Robin Lehner made 24 saves for his second straight shutout and the fourth clean sheet in his last seven games.

Game 3 of the series - which is now tied at one win apiece - is scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger saw his first official NHL action Tuesday night, entering Game 2 of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights for the start of the third period.

The rookie relieved Anton Khudobin, who allowed three goals on 27 shots over the opening 40 minutes. The Stars trailed the Golden Knights 3-0 after two periods, and Vegas held on to win by the same score.

Oettinger became the first netminder in 55 years and the only puck-stopper since the start of the expansion era in 1967-68 to make his NHL debut in the round preceding the Stanley Cup Final.

The Boston University alumnus played 38 games for the AHL's Texas Stars during the 2019-20 season, leading all AHL rookies with a .917 save percentage. Dallas drafted the 21-year-old 26th overall in 2017.

Including Game 2, Khudobin has played 16 of the NHL club's 18 postseason contests in 2020, starting 15.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jon Cooper isn't expecting another blowout victory for his Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.

"You've got to take advantage of a tired team," the head coach told the assembled media, including Fox Sports Florida, after the Lightning rolled to an 8-2 win over the New York Islanders in Game 1 on Monday. "Let's be honest. This is a one-off."

New York eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 7 of its second-round series on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Lightning finished off the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of their matchup on Aug. 31.

Lightning stars Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov both racked up five points in Tampa Bay's Game 1 win. Point scored twice, including a dazzling first-period marker, but he downplayed his squad's dominance postgame.

"Let's be honest, we got a lot of bounces tonight," Point said, according to Bryan Burns of the team's website. "Things went well for us. We can't hang our hat on that."

Point may be on to something. Despite the six-goal margin, the possession and scoring-chance figures show the game was more evenly contested than it appeared.

(Courtesy: Natural Stat Trick, all stats at 5-on-5)

Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov notched five points apiece as the Tampa Bay Lightning demolished the New York Islanders 8-2 to open the Eastern Conference Final on Monday night.

The superstar duo became the first two players in team history to register five points in a playoff game.

Point produced two goals and three assists, while Kucherov collected a goal and four helpers.

Yanni Gourde added a pair of markers for the Lightning, who also received goals from fellow forward Ondrej Palat and defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh.

Jordan Eberle and Nick Leddy provided the lone tallies for the Islanders.

Kucherov's goal moved him past Martin St. Louis as Tampa Bay's all-time playoff goals leader.

McDonagh's marker chased New York's starting goaltender Thomas Greiss late in the first period. The German netminder allowed three goals on nine shots before Semyon Varlamov replaced him. Varlamov didn't fare much better, stopping 20 of the 25 shots he faced.

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 24 shots.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan has won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the 2019-20 season, the NHL announced Monday.

The honor is bestowed annually upon the player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey," with the Professional Hockey Writers Association voting on the award. Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns and Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom were the other two finalists.

Ryan left the Senators to enter the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in November. He rejoined the club in late February and notched a hat trick in his first home game following his return.

The 33-year-old later revealed he had struggled with alcohol abuse.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner won the Masterton Trophy last season while with the New York Islanders.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nashville Predators forward Mikael Granlund will be available as a free agent this offseason.

“We will be seeing what the open market has to offer,” his representative, Todd Diamond, told The Athletic's Adam Vingan on Monday.

When asked if Granlund has ruled out rejoining the Predators, Diamond declined to answer directly, instead reiterating that his client won't re-sign before free agency begins.

Granlund will be one of the top free-agent forwards. The 28-year-old struggled after the Minnesota Wild traded him to Nashville in 2018-19, and he remained inconsistent at the start of this season.

However, the Finnish veteran raised his game when the Predators hired John Hynes to replace Peter Laviolette as their head coach in January. Granlund posted only six goals and 14 points across the first 35 games of the campaign under Laviolette, but he led the club with 11 goals in the 28 regular-season contests following Hynes' hiring. His average ice time also rose from 16:45 to 19:07 after the coaching change.

The Wild traded Granlund to the Predators for forward Kevin Fiala in February 2019. Granlund spent the first six seasons of his career with Minnesota, which dealt him to Nashville during his seventh. The Wild drafted him ninth overall in 2010.

Granlund is in the final campaign of a three-year, $17.25-million contract he inked with Minnesota in summer 2017.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba is the 2019-20 recipient of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the NHL announced Sunday.

The honor is awarded annually to the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."

Dumba is one of the most vocal NHL players on the subjects of racial injustice and inequality. In June, he co-founded the Hockey Diversity Alliance, whose mission is to eliminate systemic racism and intolerance in the game.

On Aug. 1, the 26-year-old gave a passionate speech addressing those issues and then became the first NHL player to kneel during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Chicago Blackhawks. One day later, he raised his fist during both anthems before Minnesota's matchup with the Vancouver Canucks.

Dumba started the "Rebuild Minnesota" project to help local businesses affected by protests stemming from the death of George Floyd in police custody. He pledged to match all donations up to $100,000 for that cause, according to the Star-Tribune's Randy Johnson.

The Wild rearguard also assisted over 60 families with COVID-19 support amid the outbreak of the pandemic and donated over $11,000 toward Australia's wildfire relief in January.

New Jersey Devils blue-liner P.K. Subban and New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist were the other two finalists.

This is the second straight year the award went to a Wild player - Jason Zucker, now of the Pittsburgh Penguins, took home the honor in 2019 while with Minnesota.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.