Randy Carlyle is making the most of his second tour of duty with the Anaheim Ducks.

Eyebrows were raised when the old-school veteran head coach was re-hired by general manager Bob Murray on the heels of the firing of Bruce Boudreau, but Carlyle deserves credit for getting the Ducks over the Game 7 hump and back into the Western Conference Final - a stage of the postseason the team had reached only once since he led the team to a Stanley Cup win in 2007.

Defenseman Cam Fowler, who was with the Ducks when Carlyle's previous tenure as head coach ended in 2011, explained a subtle but important difference in the coach's approach this time around.

"All the fundamentals and everything he believes in are the same," Fowler said, according to Lisa Dillman of NHL.com. "I think he's softened a little bit just based on some of the things with the rookies and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, he's a demanding coach who brings the best out of his players. He's always going to be that way."

Carlyle, who was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015, has a reputation for being a taskmaster and therefore not very player friendly, but his willingness to adapt to a younger, faster NHL is a big reason why he's been able to guide the Ducks to the third round.

After practice Thursday, Carlyle acknowledged the need to rely more and more on young players in today's NHL. A good coach, then, has to demonstrate some patience and grace when sending a message to his players.

"You can hold younger players accountable in the moment, but you can't park them," Carlyle told reporters. "You have to give them another chance to come back and prove you wrong, or prove themselves. And that's always the continuing model that we're going to go with.

"Our expectations are young players are going to get an opportunity, but if they make a mistake, they're no good parked at the end of the bench for the whole night, or they don't go into the stands for the month. They might get taken out for a game but then they get another opportunity very shortly to come back in and prove themselves."

This is particularly key on the blue line, where Anaheim's mobile, puck-moving defensive corps is made up of players aged mainly 25 and under.

The Ducks also rely on a bunch of young forwards up front, though, with 21-year-old Nick Ritchie scoring the game-winning goal in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers.

Yes, the Ducks are still led by Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler, but there's a new wave of forwards - namely Ritchie, Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg - helping the team score a second-ranked 3.18 goals per game so far in the playoffs.

Carlyle's also managing the crease well, pulling young John Gibson when need be, but going right back to him with full confidence.

In short, his ability to get the most out of veterans and younger players is paying dividends, and making Murray look a wise GM.

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If the Western Conference Final between the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators is anything like last year's first-round matchup, Ryan Johansen likes his team's chances.

The Predators bested the Ducks in seven games last season and as Johansen sees it, the Ducks have not upgraded their roster much over last year.

"Well, we beat them," Johansen said, according to NHL.com's Robby Stanley. "We found a way to beat them and there's just confidence through that. They don't really have any new faces in there other than (Patrick Eaves) and I'm not sure when he's going to be back (from a lower-body injury). For our group, we're going to go in there with confidence in the way we play and the way we can play, and get some results."

Related - Ducks-Predators Preview: 3 reasons why Nashville will win

The Ducks have, in fact, seen some roster changes since the 2016 playoffs, with David Perron, Jamie McGinn, Ryan Garbutt, Chris Stewart, and Shawn Horcoff no longer with the team.

As for the Predators, their roster from last year remains largely the same, save for one big change on the back end, with P.K. Subban replacing former captain Shea Weber.

Despite each team's changes, Johansen still expects a similar series to the one from a year ago.

"We're assuming it'll be pretty similar," Johansen said. "We know what to expect from playing them last year as well. I don't think there will be any surprises going over to Anaheim."

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No love lost.

Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf, who starred together for part of six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, will be on opposite sides of the third-round series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators.

Kessel, of course, won a Stanley Cup in his first season with Pittsburgh last year, and is now halfway to his second entering Round 3 of the playoffs.

"He's a great player that had a very good run last year and he's having another real good playoffs this year," Phaneuf told reporters Thursday. "He's a skilled guy that can produce and doesn't need a lot of space to do it. You can see that he's playing very well again."

The two former teammates will put their friendship aside through the conference finals.

"It's going to be a challenge, but there are no friends out there, and I'm sure he'd say the same thing," the defenseman added. "We'll talk to him after the series."

Through 12 playoff games - his first postseason with the Senators - Phaneuf has tallied a goal and four assists, while Kessel has collected 13 points in 12 games.

The series begins Saturday in Pittsburgh.

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It's not too late to cheer on the Ottawa Senators.

As the last Canadian club standing this postseason, the Senators are welcoming fans aboard their bandwagon, especially those cheering for Lord Stanley's return to the Great White North.

"For me, hockey is very important for every Canadian, for the most part," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion told reporters Thursday. "I think it's an honor to be the last Canadian team playing. I think we should be very humbled. I think it's something we take at heart.

"I think there are a lot of good stories to be told about the Senators organization this year, and hopefully a lot of people in Canada can jump on our bandwagon and follow us and find out what the Senators are all about."

It's been a memorable year in Ottawa, from Mike Condon's strong play during Craig Anderson's time away from the team as his wife battled cancer, to Clarke MacArthur's heroic return after missing most of the past two years with concussion symptoms.

The Senators and Edmonton Oilers were the only two Canadian teams to advance to the second round, but while the Oilers fell to the Anaheim Ducks, the Senators knocked off the New York Rangers in six games.

The Senators are now one of four teams remaining, with Ottawa set to appear in its third conference finals since 2003. Ottawa has never captured the Stanley Cup, while no Canadian squad has won it all since Montreal in 1993.

Dorion believes the Senators have the pieces in place to end Canada's curse.

"I think our players are pretty special," Dorion added. "People are finding out how good Erik Karlsson is. I've been preaching that for seven years now, how good he is. I think people realize how good and special he is, but we also have other elements."

The GM also touched on Anderson, who he feels is underrated and rarely gets the credit he deserves. Among netminders with at least 40 starts this season, Anderson finished second to only Sergei Bobrovsky with a .926 save percentage.

But the most notable performance on the Senators this postseason has come from captain Karlsson, with the blueliner collecting 13 points in 12 contests.

"I'm an okay GM," Dorion quipped. "Guy's a pretty good coach. But we have pretty special players. I think they've really stepped up."

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Nail Yakupov isn't thinking about jumping ship.

The first overall pick from the 2012 NHL Draft has said he has zero plans of returning to Russia, and the soon-to-be restricted free agent fully expects to play in NHL next season, according to Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest.

Whether that's with the St. Louis Blues or elsewhere remains to be seen, although the arrival of the NHL's 31st franchise could very well open a roster spot, as TSN's Pierre LeBrun suggested following Strickland's report.

Yakupov appeared in only 40 games for the Blues after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers prior to the start of the season, recording three goals and six assists.

He was used sparingly and often scratched, and underwent knee surgery during the first round of the playoffs.

After he signed a two-year, $5-million contract with the Oilers in 2015, the terms of his next NHL deal will be anyone's guess.

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For the fifth time over the past decade, the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The two clubs have played three first-round series and another second-round series in that span, with Pittsburgh holding a 3-1 advantage.

But that's all in the past. What lies ahead is a best-of-seven affair, with the winner earning the right to advance to the final.

Here are three storylines to watch:

Battle of the Masterton nominees

This series will feature two goalies nominated for the Masterton Trophy, awarded to "the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."

In one crease is Craig Anderson, whose life was turned upside down this season due to a cancer battle fought by his wife, prompting him to take several leaves of absence. When he was able to take to the ice, he played some of the best hockey of his career, and while his numbers have dipped a bit in the playoffs, he remains one of the league's more underrated netminders.

In the other is Marc-Andre Fleury, whose days as Pittsburgh's starting goalie appeared to have come to an end this time last year, when Matt Murray was embarking on a successful run to the Cup as a rookie. It's Fleury who's filling in for an injured Murray this time around, and although this postseason could very well be it for Fleury in Pittsburgh, his renaissance is as big a reason as any for the Penguins' win over the Washington Capitals.

Here's how their playoff numbers stack up:

The slash

It was one of the more gruesome incidents of the regular season, and it could carry into the postseason thanks to this rather unexpected matchup.

The date was March 23, and the principal characters were Sidney Crosby and Marc Methot. Near the end of the opening frame, the Penguins captain caught the Senators defenseman with a slash that quite simply destroyed Methot's finger.

Crosby contended he was aiming for Methot's stick and the NHL didn't give the play a second look, while Methot didn't play again until Game 2 of Ottawa's first-round series against the Boston Bruins more than three weeks later.

On top of that, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk called Crosby a "whiner beyond belief" and argued for a season-long suspension, while the Penguin retorted by saying Melnyk just likes to hear himself talk.

And let's not forget Melnyk once commissioned a forensic investigation into an Achilles injury suffered by Erik Karlsson at the hands of former Penguins forward Matt Cooke.

There's clearly a weird relationship between these two clubs, with the Eastern Conference Final serving as a big stage for grievances new and old to be aired.

Karlsson's conquest

For those who needed a refresher on just how good of a player Karlsson is, this postseason has provided a crash course, albeit unnecessarily.

Not only does Karlsson lead the Senators with 13 points in 12 games (two goals, 11 assists), he ranks first among all remaining defensemen with a Corsi For rating of 57.14 in five-on-five play, meaning he's regularly on the ice for more shot attempts for than against. He also boasts a rating of plus-eight, for the more traditional crowd.

What's even crazier is he admitted to being hindered by a pair of hairline fractures in his left heel earlier in the playoffs. That's remarkable considering he's averaging almost 29 minutes of ice time, and regularly looks like one of the world's best players, scoring and setting up plays in jaw-dropping fashion.

The Senators wouldn't be here without Karlsson, and they won't advance unless he keeps it up, at the very least. If he does, they can go ahead and throw his name on the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Series Schedule

*if necessary

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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The Buffalo Sabres officially introduced Jason Botterill as their new general manager Thursday, with the newly-minted executive touching on a few key points at his introductory press conference.

Most notably, Botterill focused on the team's coaching vacancy. The Sabres fired former bench boss Dan Bylsma and GM Tim Murray on April 20, and finding a new coach will be one of Botterill's first tasks.

The new GM described his ideal candidate as someone who can relate with the team's young players, someone who is "a developer, an educator, and a communicator."

That means aiding in the development of the Sabres' emerging talent, most notably top center Jack Eichel, who finished last season with 57 points in 61 games.

"Jack is an amazing player," Botterill said. "I'm excited about working with him."

Strength down the middle is an area that attracted Botterill to Buffalo, who skated with the organization from 2002-05.

"People are craving centermen like (Ryan) O'Reilly and Eichel and the fact we have them here is a good feeling," Botterill added.

Still, the focus on developing the team's young players won't take away from the present, as Botterill noted that winning is a part of development.

"The goal of the organization needs to be year in and year out competing at a high level and one of those years break through," he added.

The Sabres have missed the playoffs for six straight years but have a promising future led by a young core that includes Eichel, center Sam Reinhart, and top defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.

Botterill comes to Buffalo after spending the past 10 years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he learned the craft of hockey operations under two GMs.

"I took the best from Ray Shero as a GM, I took the best from Jim Rutherford as a GM," Botterill added.

But now, his focus is all on Buffalo.

"I am 100 percent ecstatic to be here with this organization," Botterill said.

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