New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier hopes his teammates are as angry as he is after Friday's blowout loss at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2.

"What bothers me the most is that we just got outbattled," Hischier said after the loss. "It's the playoffs, we should be really pissed off right now."

The Devils dropped the critical contest 6-1 and have now been outscored 11-2 in the series.

The game was scoreless after the first period, but New Jersey unraveled in the second, allowing four straight Carolina goals. The onslaught prompted the Devils to pull goaltender Akira Schmid for the second consecutive game.

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff hasn't committed to a Game 3 starter yet, according to team reporter Amanda Stein.

The Hurricanes have held the Devils' high-octane offense in check so far. Carolina holds an 8-2 advantage in five-on-five goals and has controlled 56.16% of expected goals, 52.69% of scoring chances, and 53.11% of shot attempts, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"We have lots of skill here, but skill doesn't mean a thing in the playoffs," Hischier said.

Hischier has been on the ice for three goals against through two games. He entered the second round on a five-game point streak but hasn't found the goal column in the playoffs after a breakout regular season in which he notched a career-high 80 points in 81 appearances.

If there's a silver lining for the Devils after Friday's demoralizing loss, it's that they found themselves in an 0-2 hole in Round 1 against the New York Rangers before winning the series in seven.

Game 3 goes Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET in Newark.

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Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins, Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken, and Lindy Ruff of the New Jersey Devils were named finalists on Friday for the 2023 Jack Adams Award, given annually to the head coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."

The honor is voted on by members of the league's broadcasters association.

Montgomery guided the Bruins to the best regular season in NHL history, collecting records in wins (65) and points (135). Boston led the Atlantic Division wire-to-wire, and its plus-128 led the league by 61. He accomplished all this in his first season with the club.

Hakstol oversaw a remarkable turnaround for the Kraken, who improved by 40 points this year after a disappointing inaugural campaign as the NHL's 32nd franchise. Seattle earned its first-ever playoff berth in 2022-23 and shocked the hockey world by eliminating the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in a seven-game thriller in Round 1.

Ruff established Devils franchise records in wins (52) and points (112), and helped the club snap a four-year playoff drought with the league's third-best record. New Jersey won 13 games in a row early in the year to establish itself as a Metropolitan Division powerhouse and erase the angst of a restless fanbase that famously chanted "Fire Lindy" after a slow start to the campaign.

This marks Ruff's fourth nomination for the award. He won it in 2006 with the Buffalo Sabres, and he was a finalist in 2007 with the same club as well as in 2016 with the Dallas Stars.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning signed forward Michael Eyssimont to a two-year contract worth $800,000 per season, the team announced Friday.

Eyssimont was scheduled to become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this offseason as a 25-and-older player with three professional seasons under his belt but fewer than 80 total games.

The Bolts acquired Eyssimont before the trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Vladislav Namestnikov, and he produced two points in 15 games after arriving in Tampa.

Eyssimont started the 2022-23 campaign with the Winnipeg Jets and was a fifth-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Kings in 2016.

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Several Calgary Flames players took back trade requests after the club fired Darryl Sutter as head coach earlier this week, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli revealed Thursday on Sportsnet 960.

"In talking to various people around the league that have connections to Calgary, the sentiment was any trade requests that were out there, or demands so to speak, have been rescinded now that there's been a coaching change," Seravalli said. "That, I think, opens the door for some players that might have been hesitating to eventually re-sign. That'll of course be the call of whoever's the next general manager."

Seravalli added, "I believe there was at least a handful of players who had spoken honestly and frankly to (former general manger) Brad Treliving and (president of hockey operations) Don Maloney, who were in the room for the exit interviews, to say exactly that. Essentially, it's as simple as, 'If this guy's back, I don't wanna play here.'"

The Flames axed Sutter on Monday after three seasons behind the bench and a Jack Adams Award in 2022. Calgary missed the playoffs this year after a dramatic offseason that saw Johnny Gaudreau leave in free agency and Matthew Tkachuk demand out instead of re-signing as a restricted free agent, while the club landed Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar via trade.

Huberdeau disappointed with 55 points after netting 115 last season with the Florida Panthers, and he admitted Monday that he and Sutter didn't click.

"Having a new coach is going to help my game and my confidence too," Huberdeau said.

It's unknown which players requested trades if Sutter stayed, but veterans Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm, both eligible to sign extensions this summer, were noncommittal when asked about re-upping with the Flames at their end-of-season interviews.

Other key 2024 free agents on the Flames' docket include Tyler Toffoli, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov.

Calgary also parted ways with GM Brad Treliving after the regular season and is in the midst of searching for his replacement on top of finding a new bench boss.

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New York Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant and general manager Chris Drury had a heated altercation after the club's Game 4 loss to the New Jersey Devils in the first round, reports The Athletic's Arthur Staple.

The Rangers lost the contest 3-1 on home ice, letting the Devils equalize the series after the Blueshirts won the first two games. New Jersey ultimately took the series in seven.

Gallant's job security has been in question since New York's demoralizing elimination to one of its biggest rivals, prompting him to defend himself at his end-of-season interview on Wednesday.

"I can't believe I have to answer some of these questions about me getting fired, brought up by the media," Gallant said. "Disappointing."

Despite tensions appearing to be high, the Rangers aren't likely to move on from Gallant, according to Staple. The crop of candidates to replace the 59-year-old - which includes veterans Peter Laviolette and Darryl Sutter - reportedly isn't enticing enough to sway Drury to make a change behind the bench.

The Rangers hired Gallant prior to the 2021-22 campaign, and he's led the club to back-to-back 100-plus point seasons. He was nominated for the Jack Adams Award after his first year behind the bench on the strength of a 110-point effort while also leading the club to the Eastern Conference Final.

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The Seattle Kraken won their first-ever playoff series in style Sunday night, advancing to Round 2 with a 2-1 road win over the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in Game 7.

Seattle moves on to face the Dallas Stars, who eliminated the Minnesota Wild earlier this week.

Kraken forward Oliver Bjorkstrand delivered a key performance in the series finale, scoring twice. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer was also a difference-maker, posting 33 saves against his former team.

Seattle is the first team in NHL history to earn its first series win against a reigning Cup winner, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. Colorado has now lost six consecutive Game 7s dating back to 2002.

The Avalanche were heavy favorites heading into the playoffs after finishing nine points clear of the Kraken in the regular-season standings. However, they fell way short of a run at repeating as champions with a largely different roster from the one that lost only four of 20 playoff games last year.

"I don't think anybody on our side thought they were going to sweep us here in four games," Grubauer said, per Root Sports. "Obviously, we grew together throughout that series, and we had lots to learn. That was an unbelievable performance by everybody and it's not going to get easier from here on out."

He added, "We are resilient, and if we play the right way, we can beat anybody in this league, and we can beat the best."

The Kraken advanced without leading goal-scorer Jared McCann, who was hurt on a controversial hit from Cale Makar in Game 5, and former Avalanche sniper Andre Burakovsky, who was limited to 49 contests this season due to injury.

Seattle's first playoff triumph comes in its second season of existence. The Kraken earned 100 points on the year, a 40-point improvement from their inaugural campaign as the league's 32nd franchise.

Game 1 of the Kraken-Stars series is scheduled for Tuesday night in Dallas.

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Patrice Bergeron needs time to digest the Boston Bruins' stunning first-round exit before deciding whether he'll continue his illustrious career.

"Right now, it's hard to process anything. It hurts right now," Bergeron said Sunday, according to Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub.

The 37-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and his future is in question after the Bruins' historic regular season came to a grinding halt with a Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Bergeron was visibly upset after the defeat, hugging his teammates and saluting the TD Garden crowd before heading down the tunnel.

"It's a special city. It's a special fanbase. (The salute was) a thank you for the support all year," Bergeron said.

Bergeron re-upped with the Bruins last summer on a one-year deal featuring a $2.5-million cap hit.

He produced 58 points in 78 contests but wasn't available until Game 5 of Round 1 due to a herniated disc in his back, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said he doesn't want this to be the end of the road for his captain.

"Learned a lot from him this year. Hope to learn more next year," he said.

The Bruins drafted Bergeron 45th overall in 2003. The future Hall of Famer has amassed 1,040 career points - and 128 more in the playoffs - and won an NHL-record five Selke Trophies as the league's top defensive forward.

Bergeron won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 and captured gold medals with Canada at the Olympics in 2010 and 2014.

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Kailer Yamamoto scored in the dying embers of Game 6 on Saturday night to oust the Los Angeles Kings and punch the Edmonton Oilers' ticket to Round 2.

The winning tally came with 3:03 left in regulation and was Yamamoto's first of the playoffs after entering the contest without a point in the series.

"I hadn’t had a great series, but it was big for me and even bigger for the boys," Yamamoto said, per TSN's Jason Gregor.

Edmonton's win sets up a second-round clash with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Oilers finished two points behind the first-place Golden Knights in the regular season standings, and the highly anticipated matchup will be headlined by a head-to-head matchup between the top two picks of the 2015 draft: Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.

Saturday's affair was high-octane from the jump, as McDavid opened the scoring 1:25 in. The clubs scored two goals apiece in the second period, and the Oilers' 4-3 lead evaporated midway through the final frame after a critical blunder from goaltender Stuart Skinner gifted Phillip Danault the equalizer.

Aside from the unlucky mistake, Skinner's 40-save performance was a key factor in Edmonton's clincher.

"Just so impressive," McDavid said to TNT regarding his goalie. "To give up a goal like that - a bad bounce there - and then shut it down after, it's a credit to him and how mentally strong he is."

The Oilers have now eliminated the Kings in back-to-back years. Edmonton defeated Los Angeles in seven games last season, the first step of a playoff run that ended in the Western Conference Final.

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Colorado Avalanche veteran Andrew Cogliano is out indefinitely with a fractured neck after being boarded by Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle in Game 6 on Friday, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Eberle received a two-minute minor and escaped supplemental discipline for the hit, while Cogliano returned for the third period of Colorado's victory.

Cogliano appeared in 79 games for the Avalanche this season, registering 19 points while averaging 12:37 per contest. He was acquired by Colorado at the 2022 trade deadline and helped the club win the Stanley Cup last spring before signing a one-year extension in the offseason.

The 35-year-old is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Game 7 between the Avalanche and Kraken is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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The New Jersey Devils cruised to a 4-0 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 5 on Thursday to take a 3-2 series lead over their Metropolitan Division rivals.

Ondrej Palat opened the scoring 39 seconds into the pivotal contest, leading the way for New Jersey to earn its third consecutive victory. Erik Haula scored twice, and Dawson Mercer also found twine in the emphatic win.

Goaltender Akira Schmid made 23 stops to continue an impressive start to his playoff career. Schmid took over the Devils' crease for Vitek Vanecek in Game 3 and only allowed two goals since. He joined Martin Brodeur and Sean Burke as the only goaltenders in New Jersey franchise history to record a playoff shutout.

Although New York didn't manage many shots on target, Schmid's play made a significant impact as the Rangers outchanced the Devils 24-20 at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The Devils can close out the series Saturday night with a win at Madison Square Garden. A potential Game 7 would be May 1.

New Jersey hasn't advanced past the first round since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2012.

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