The Lightning have jumped out to a 2-0 series lead after taking both games on home ice by a combined score of 10-5. And while Tampa Bay's top line has put up respectable numbers early, the Lightning's second line of Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, and Tyler Johnson has been dynamite.
Through the first two games the trio has combined for 10 points, with nine of them coming at even strength.
Player
Goals
Points
Shots
Palat
1
4
4
Point
1
3
2
Johnson
2
3
6
For Johnson, he's once again proving that when the playoffs come around he ups his game. His three points through the first two games give him 45 points in 49 career playoff games. Meanwhile, Palat is now up to 33 points in 48 career postseason contests.
The Lightning are now just two wins away from advancing to the second round. If the Devils have any chance of getting back into the series they will need to find a way to cool down the Lightning's high-octane offense. And as weird as it may sound, that might mean addressing the Lightning's simmering second line.
Rattie signed a one-year, $650,000 contract with the Oilers last summer, and split the season between the AHL's Bakersfield Condors (21 goals, 22 assists in 53 games) and the NHL club (five goals, four assists in 14 games).
The 25-year-old was drafted 32nd overall by St. Louis in 2011.
The 22-year-old is expected to take the place of the injured Tommy Wingels in Game 2. Wingels left Thursday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after taking a vicious hit from Nazem Kadri, which earned the Maple Leafs center a three-game suspension.
Donato showed promise in his limited action with the Bruins at the end of the season. He potted five goals and nine points in 15 games.
The National Weather Service posted an ominous blizzard warning for Minnesota on Saturday afternoon, saying it's "shaping up to be a historic storm" and forecasting that "several rounds of very heavy snow" will fall through the afternoon and evening.
According to Elisha Dacey of CBC News, there was no immediate word on the Jets' next step; they could either wait out the weather and take off later in the day, or try to bus to Minneapolis.
"I'm not flying the plane. I don't know about the weather," said Patrik Laine. "I'm just going to sit on the plane and hopefully we're going to land in Minneapolis."
The snow is supposed to taper off but will continue overnight. Game 3 is set for Sunday in St. Paul at 7 p.m. ET.
Schneider made his last playoff appearance in 2013 in Games 3 and 4 of the Vancouver Canucks' opening-round series against the San Jose Sharks. Schneider lost both those games en route to a Sharks sweep.
The 32-year-old has seen limited action of late, having made just one start in the team's previous 10 games.
Coincidentally, Girard was acquired by the Avs from the Preds as a part of the Matt Duchene-Kyle Turris blockbuster trade earlier this season.
Even at the age of 19, Girard has proven to be a key part of the Avs' blue line, picking up 20 points in 68 games with the club, while averaging 17:42 per night.
Colorado is also without Erik Johnson on the back end, making their matchup with the Predidents' Trophy-wining Predators even more daunting.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were already in tough to pull out a seven-game-series victory against a Boston Bruins squad stacked with talent up and down its lineup, but when Nazem Kadri was handed a three-game suspension on Friday for his hit on Tommy Wingels, things got even more challenging for Mike Babcock and Co.
Kadri is an integral part of Toronto's lineup, so naturally, fans and analysts have weighed in on what his absence from the Leafs' lineup will mean for the outcome of a series that has already provided its fair share of talking points.
With that in mind, NHL editors Josh Wegman and Flip Livingstone debate whether Toronto will sink or swim without its second-best center anchoring the middle of the ice.
Leafs will struggle without Nasty Naz
Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, David Pastrnak, and Rick Nash - a menacing crew of Bruins forwards you don't want to be squaring off against without your No. 2 centerman in the lineup. But that's exactly the task the Buds face for the next three contests.
Kadri might not be as flashy or as talented as Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner, but he's arguably just as important to Toronto's success, given his ability to play a complete game. A re-commitment to the defensive end since Babcock's arrival in 2015 has seen Kadri take his all-around ability to the next level, a fact showcased by his back-to-back 32-goal seasons.
In addition to leaving a big hole down the middle on the top power play (he was a 50-percent face-off man during the season), Kadri's absence will also be felt when matching up against the physical forward group mentioned above. His tenacious nature and sandpaper approach would have been crucial to the Leafs' plan over the next few games - a plan that will obviously need to be altered ahead of Game 2 on Saturday night.
Nothing against Andreas Johnsson or Patrick Marleau, the two forwards tasked with filling the majority of Naz's minutes, but they don't make up for the all-around quality that will be missing while Kadri serves his three-game suspension.
The obvious loss of scoring punch is mitigated by the rest of Toronto's potent lineup. But what it lacks is grit, aggressiveness, and a commitment to playing a two-way style. Three things that have become Kadri's trademark. -- Livingstone
Leafs are capable of taking 2 of 3 without Kadri
Even without Kadri in the lineup, the Leafs are still capable of winning two out of the next three games to even the series upon his return.
Will they be in tough to do so? Yes. Is Kadri a big loss? Certainly. But, in no way should anyone be sticking a fork in the Leafs just because they'll be without their No. 2 center for the next three games. But for this prophecy to come to fruition, other players will need to step up and a few battles will have to go Toronto's way.
First, Matthews needs to be much better. He had an even rating in Game 1, but the Bergeron line owned him. For the Leafs to be successful, Matthews and William Nylander can't be hemmed in their own end for entire shifts at a time. It's easier said than done, but they can't let Bergeron and Co. dictate the pace of the game.
The Leafs' special teams needs to step up. They went 0-for-3 on the power play and the Bruins went 3-for-6. If Boston's PK is going to give Marner tons of time and space on the power play, he needs to take advantage and shoot the puck.
Last, but not least, Toronto's top D pairing of Morgan Rielly and Ron Hainsey can't be anywhere near as bad as they were in Game 1. If they show signs of it early, Babcock needs to break them up and give rookie Travis Dermott more ice time.
A lot has to happen, but the Leafs are deep enough to go toe to toe with the Bruins without Kadri, as long as they play to their ability. -- Wegman
With Nazem Kadri's three-game suspension, the Maple Leafs will be without their No. 2 center until Game 5 (if necessary). Given Patrice Bergeron's propensity to shut down opposing top centers - even Auston Matthews - Kadri was as important as anyone to the Leafs' success this series.
Mike Babcock said these will be the Leafs' line combinations in Saturday's pregame warmup, per TSN's Mark Masters.
LW
C
RW
Komarov
Matthews
Nylander
Hyman
Marleau
Marner
van Riemsdyk
Bozak
Brown
Johnsson
Plekanec
Kapanen
Having the slow-footed Leo Komarov - arguably the Leafs' worst forward - playing with Auston Matthews is not ideal, so let's take a look at some other options Babcock has at his disposal.
Marleau centering
The veteran Patrick Marleau shifting to center seems the logical choice. The 38-year-old can still fly, is responsible defensively, and with 178 career playoff games, no moment is too big for him. Here are a few possible lineup combinations that keep Komarov in his proper fourth-line role.
If Babcock is intent on a Hyman-Marleau-Marner trio, Johnsson is a much better top-line option than Komarov. He can score and also brings a lot of energy and tenacity - not unlike Hyman.
Option 1C:
LW
C
RW
Johnsson
Matthews
Nylander
Hyman
Marleau
Marner
JVR
Bozak
Kapanen
Komarov
Plekanec
Brown
Flipping Brown and Kapanen would bring some much-needed speed to the third line.
Nylander centering
William Nylander played center in Matthews' most recent absence in the regular season. And while having the young Swede down the middle would make Babcock more stressed than a college student during exam season, there's an argument to be made that his presence would make the offense more dynamic, even if there's some defensive risk involved.
Option 2A:
LW
C
RW
Hyman
Matthews
Brown
Marleau
Nylander
Marner
JVR
Bozak
Kapanen
Komarov
Plekanec
Johnsson
While the sample size isn't large, in 62 minutes together at 5-on-5 this season, Nylander and Marner generated 56.5 percent of the shot attempts, 80 percent of the goals, and 66 percent of the scoring chances. This trio could make Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy second-guess whether the Bergeron line and the Chara-McAvoy pairing should shadow Matthews.
Option 2B:
LW
C
RW
Johnsson
Matthews
Hyman
Marleau
Nylander
Marner
JVR
Bozak
Brown
Komarov
Plekanec
Kapanen
Brown's responsible play in his own end on the top line would keep Babcock at ease, but given that he's scored just one goal in his last 23 games, Johnsson could be the better fit alongside Matthews.
Option 2C:
LW
C
RW
Marleau
Matthews
Hyman
JVR
Nylander
Marner
Johnsson
Bozak
Brown
Komarov
Plekanec
Kapanen
There's almost a zero percent chance Babcock would send out a line as defensively irresponsible as JVR-Nylander-Marner, but that trio could do some damage on the scoreboard.
Conclusion
Option 1A would seemingly be the best way for the Leafs to begin Game 2, but if they wind up trailing as they did in Game 1, Option 2B could kick-start the offense.
With the 2018 NHL Playoffs now in full swing, hockey fans across North America are being treated to a bevy of exciting games on a nightly basis for the next couple of weeks.
However, for the first time in over 45 years, legendary play-by-play man Bob Cole won't be calling any postseason action. A fact Cole has struggled to come to terms with. "I’ve been doing playoffs every year of my life in broadcasting. This is the first time that I’m not involved," Cole said, according to Michael Traikos of Postmedia.
"It’s difficult to live with the fact that I’m not working. I surely will miss not working the playoffs. That’s the best way I can say it."
Cole has been the voice of hockey in Canada since 1972, weaving himself into the fabric of the sport for generations of fans.
However, his incredible run behind the microphone came to an unceremonious end this season. A reality that he says is tough to handle.
"The decision sure wasn’t mutual,” Cole said. “It was right out of the blue. Rogers decided to go with other (broadcast) teams and I have to live with that. But it was their decision - not mine."
" ... But I was never told that once that playoffs start, I wouldn’t be working. I’m not going to be part of it all. That’s kind of tough, but you have to live with it."
Cole's spot will be filled this postseason by a combination of broadcasters that includes Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson, who are calling the Bruins-Leafs series for Sportsnet-CBC, with Paul Romanuk and Garry Galley covering the Jets-Wild series.
