The Tampa Bay Lightning advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in four years with a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 5 on Sunday.

More to come.

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Boston Bruins forward David Backes was forced from Sunday's game after taking an open-ice hit from Tampa Bay Lightning forward J.T. Miller in the second period.

Backes remained on the ice for several minutes before being helped to the dressing room by his teammates. He did not return for the third period.

What's concerning is Backes has suffered at least two previous concussions, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

To add insult to injury, Miller scored a power-play marker less than two minutes later to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead.

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The Washington Capitals' two key injured players appear to be good bets to suit up for Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.

Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said defenseman John Carlson is fine, and he expects Nicklas Backstrom to play but cautioned "we'll see where he is (Monday)," according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post.

Carlson was hit up high by Jake Guentzel with about a minute remaining in Saturday's 6-3 Capitals win. Carlson is the Capitals' average ice-time leader in the playoffs (27:02) after having that distinction during the regular season (24:47) and ranks fourth overall in the league in that department during the postseason, to go along with 11 points in as many games.

Backstrom left Saturday's contest in the third period with an injury the club would only describe as an "upper-body" ailment.

The all-world center played only 15:55 in Game 5, and didn't return after his fifth shift of the third frame. Three of Backstrom's last four spells on the ice lasted 11 seconds or fewer, and he departed for good after a nine-second stint with 13:12 remaining in the third period.

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Bruce Cassidy is shaking things up with his club on the brink of elimination.

The Boston Bruins head coach made more than one tweak to his forward lines ahead of Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, with the Bruins trailing the second-round series 3-1.

Here's how they looked ahead of Game 4, which the Lightning won 4-3 in overtime Friday night:

So, to summarize Sunday's changes:

• Ryan Donato is moving up to the second line to play alongside David Krejci and Rick Nash.
• Jake DeBrusk is swapping places with Donato and moving down to the third line with Sean Kuraly and David Backes.
• Backes is taking that spot on the third line, moving up from the fourth unit.
• Riley Nash is drawing back into the lineup, while Brian Gionta is sitting out.

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Jake Guentzel is apparently off the hook.

The Pittsburgh Penguins forward will not face a hearing to answer for his check on Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson in Game 5 of their second-round series Saturday night, The Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan reported Sunday, adding that it was considered a full-body hit.

Guentzel caught Carlson up high behind the Capitals' net with the Penguins trailing 5-3 late in a game they ultimately lost 6-3.

Carlson went to the bench after absorbing the hit, and the club said postgame that he was being evaluated.

Capitals head coach Barry Trotz called it a headshot but stopped short of saying it was suspension-worthy, stating he'd "leave it up to the league."

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It will be a somewhat unfamiliar situation for the two Toronto Maple Leafs goaltenders at the World Championship on Monday.

Curtis McElhinney will start against Denmark, Team Canada head coach Bill Peters told reporters including TSN's Ryan Rishaug on Sunday after McElhinney stopped all 25 shots he faced in Canada's 10-0 destruction of South Korea.

That means he'll square off against his NHL netminding partner, Frederik Andersen, the Maple Leafs starter who's representing the host Danes.

Andersen will have his work cut out for him against a Canadian squad oozing talent including the likes of Connor McDavid, Mathew Barzal, Brayden Schenn, Jordan Eberle, Ryan O'Reilly, Colton Parayko, and Aaron Ekblad.

Denmark earned a shootout win over Germany in its opener Friday before being shut out 4-0 by the United States the next day. Andersen has a .925 save percentage through two games.

McElhinney will be starting his second game in as many days, but he wasn't exactly overworked in his first appearance of the tourney Sunday. Darcy Kuemper played in Canada's shootout loss to the U.S. on Friday.

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Team Canada didn't have much trouble with South Korea on Sunday, and that's putting it mildly.

Tyson Jost scored twice, and he was one of nine Canadian players to light the lamp in a 10-0 victory over South Korea at the World Championship in Denmark.

Canada held a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes but blew it wide open with a six-goal second period. South Korea was out-shot 50-25 in the game.

Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, Brayden Schenn, Colton Parayko, Ryan O'Reilly, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Joel Edmundson potted the other goals for Canada.

Curtis McElhinney made 25 saves for the shutout.

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Even after getting annihilated 6-2 in Game 5 by the Winnipeg Jets, P.K. Subban is awfully confident his Nashville Predators can win Game 6 and force a Game 7 back in the Music City.

"We're going to go (to Winnipeg), we're going to win a game and come back here. It's that simple," he said, according to Adam Vingan of the Tennessean.

The charismatic Subban is no stranger to bold predictions. After going down 2-0 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in last year's Stanley Cup Final, he guaranteed a win in Game 3, which the Preds won 5-1.

Can he go two-for-two? We'll find out Monday in Game 6.

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