The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't quite done with Marc-Andre Fleury.

The team's longtime starting goalie basically lost his job around this time last year, when Matt Murray stepped in as an injury replacement and took the team to a Stanley Cup championship.

Fleury played the role of backup all season, and was thought to have made his final start as a Penguin in the regular-season finale, with Murray set to backstop another playoff run.

But instead of sitting on the bench wondering whether he'll be traded this summer or snagged in the upcoming expansion draft, Fleury was called upon as a late starter for Wednesday's Game 1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He proceeded to stop 31 of 32 shots in a 3-1 win, proving general manager Jim Rutherford right for keeping Fleury around as insurance.

Related: Penguins' Fleury starts Game 1 after Murray injured in warmup

That managerial decision was affirmed by head coach Mike Sullivan after the Game 1 win.

"(Fleury is a) good competitor, good pro, and he's a great teammate. It was (a) difficult year, but he handled it as well as anyone," Sullivan added.

To his credit, Fleury has indeed handled the situation with grace and class all season long, and was not fazed by getting the late call in Game 1.

"I just tried to approach it as a regular game and just be ready for it," Fleury said postgame.

The nature and extent of Murray's injury is not yet known, and it's possible Fleury returns to the bench for Game 2. But as long as he's in Pittsburgh, he'll do all he can to help the Penguins win another Cup.

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Vladimir Sobotka arrived just in the nick of time.

The St. Louis Blues forward potted the team's opening goal Wednesday in Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild.

Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin failed to clear the zone, with his pass intercepted by Blues forward Alex Steen, who shuffled the perfect setup to Sobotka.

Sobotka, of course, recently arrived to the Blues after spending the year in the KHL. He appeared in the final game of the regular season in St. Louis, scoring against the Colorado Avalanche.

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The streak is finally over.

Oscar Klefbom got the Edmonton Oilers on the board early in their playoff-opening game against the San Jose Sharks, beating netminder Martin Jones with a five-hole goal at 6:44.

Prior to Wednesday, the last Oiler to score in the postseason was Fernando Pisani, who did so on June 19, 2006.

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There was no easing 19-year-old Charlie McAvoy into the Boston Bruins' lineup.

Pressed into playoff duty after late-season injuries to defensemen Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo, McAvoy logged 24:11 of ice time in a Game 1 win over the Ottawa Senators, second only to Zdeno Chara (25:32) among all players.

The extra minutes came not only on the power play, but also in the absence of Colin Miller, who was forced to leave Game 1 with an injury of his own.

McAvoy certainly didn't seem to mind:

The young blue-liner also clearly earned the trust of head coach Bruce Cassidy.

It's been a whirlwind few weeks for McAvoy, who wrapped up his time at Boston University, had a brief stint with the Bruins' AHL club, and was then signed to an entry-level deal and called up to the NHL.

Based on his debut, McAvoy - who was drafted 14th overall in 2016 - appears to be in the Bruins' lineup for good.

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The mic has been dropped.

After the team held the Boston Bruins to zero shots on goal during the second period of Game 1, the Ottawa Senators' social media took to Twitter to throw some shade.

The Senators, however, went on to lose by a score of 2-1, prompting the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective to offer the following retort:

How do you like them apples?

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MONTREAL - Tanner Glass scored in the first period and Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves to help the New York Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 on Wednesday night in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night at Bell Centre.

Michael Grabner added an empty-net goal with 1:10 left to play.

Montreal outshot New York 16-5 in the first period, but couldn't beat Lundqvist.

The Canadiens are looking to a avenge a six-game loss in the first round to New York in 2014, a series in which Carey Price was injured in the opening game on a hit from Chris Kreider. This time, Kreider pulled up when barreling toward Price in the first period.

Fired up by 1960s pop star Ginette Reno's national anthem, the Canadiens were all over New York in the opening period, but it was the Rangers who struck first 9:50 on only their third shot.

Montreal's Tomas Plekanec won a draw in his own zone, but fourth-line winger Glass pounced on it and lifted a backhand from the slot over Price's shoulder.

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Held without a single shot in the second period, the Boston Bruins' sticks came alive when it mattered most.

With the score tied at one late in the third period, winger Brad Marchand made good on a rebound opportunity after Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson made a huge save on the initial shot by Patrice Bergeron.

Overall, Ottawa out-shot Boston 27-25, with both Anderson and Tuukka Rask putting in stellar efforts.

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San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton will not play in Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers, as he remains day to day with a lower-body injury.

On Tuesday, Thornton was hopeful he'd be ready for the opening game of the series. He missed the final three games of the regular season as he dealt with the ailment.

Thornton scored seven goals and added 43 assists this season.

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The Boston Bruins may have lost another defenseman to injury.

Already playing Game 1 without Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo, Colin Miller was forced to leave after being on the receiving end of a knee-on-knee hit from Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki.

Miller returned briefly during the second period but was not on the bench to begin the third.

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The Ottawa Senators made franchise history during Game 1 of their series with the Boston Bruins.

The Senators held the Bruins without a single shot on goal over the course of the second period, marking a first for the team in a playoff game.

For the Bruins, this was not a first.

Shots were then fired via social media.

Seems like a recipe for success to us.

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