"I thought it was a clean hit and I don't agree with the call," Ferland told reporters postgame, according to the Raleigh News and Observer's Chip Alexander. "I don't think I deserve to be suspended. I take pride in my game (and) in being a clean hitter. I never want to hurt anybody."
Jon Cooper thinks his once-heavily favored club is in a state of emergency after its latest defeat.
The Tampa Bay Lightning head coach conveyed as much after his team lost Game 2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 on Friday, two nights after blowing a three-goal lead and falling 4-3 in the opener of the first-round series.
"The regular season's different from the playoffs," Cooper told the assembled media, including FOX Sports Florida, postgame Friday. "Things just happen so fast. It's zero-zero and there's a lot of excitement going into Game 1, and then, all of the sudden you're down 0-2 at home and alarms are going off."
Cooper acknowledged that Tampa Bay was rarely tested during a historically dominant regular season, but he tried to take a positive outlook on the club's predicament.
"Have we faced a ton of adversity this year? We haven't," Cooper said. "I've been in the league for six years, and it probably hasn't gotten any easier than it has this year. So now we've got some adversity, and teams face this all the time. And you face it in little pieces. This is a five-alarm fire, but it's adversity, and I don't know. Sometimes, that's good. Sometimes you have to go through stuff like this. We'll see how we respond."
Making matters worse for the Lightning is the fact that they dropped the first two games of the series on home ice, meaning the Blue Jackets will head home with a chance to earn an improbable series sweep.
Philadelphia is the only club so far to ask permission to speak with the former Blueshirts head coach, adds Lavoie.
The Flyers dismissed Dave Hakstol in December, handing the reins to Scott Gordon on an interim basis. They went 25-22-4 under Gordon and missed the playoffs by 16 points.
New York fired Vigneault on the final night of the 2017-18 regular season after failing to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009-10. New York was also unable to qualify for the postseason this year under new head coach David Quinn.
Vigneault spent five seasons behind the Rangers bench and guided them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. Before joining New York, he coached the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens, helping the Canucks make a Cup Final appearance in 2011.
The KHL's reigning MVP could be Vegas-bound in the near future.
Nikita Gusev's Russian representatives and North American agent J.P. Barry of CAA Sports are working on Gusev's release from SKA St. Petersburg, TSN's Darren Dreger reports.
Gusev is under contract with the KHL club until the end of April, adds Dreger.
The Vegas Golden Knights acquired the 26-year-old's NHL rights from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2017 expansion draft.
Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant repeatedly stated Thursday that he doesn't know much about Gusev and has "no idea" if the Russian forward will join the NHL team, but the bench boss said he's hopeful it will happen, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.
Gusev led the KHL with 82 points in 62 regular-season contests in 2018-19, adding 19 points in 18 playoff games this spring.
CSKA Moscow eliminated SKA St. Petersburg in Game 7 of the KHL's Western Conference Final earlier this week.
The first evening of the NHL postseason did not disappoint.
Among other surprising storylines, the unquestioned championship favorite coughed up a lead and lost in stunning fashion, and two rookies lifted their respective squads to victory.
Here's what we gleaned from each of the five matchups on the opening night of playoff action:
Lightning take feet off gas after hot start
Everything was going according to the plan for the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but then the wheels completely fell off for the league's most dominant team.
After tying a franchise postseason record with three goals in the opening period, the Lightning surrendered four unanswered markers, including three in the third, en route to a shocking 4-3 defeat on home ice.
It's not uncommon for a team to ease up a bit with a lead, but to call this particular collapse unexpected would be an understatement.
Tampa Bay was 39-2-2 when leading after two periods in the regular season, while Columbus was 2-23-1 when trailing after 40 minutes, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.
Islanders prove to be resilient
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Buoyed by a predictably raucous Nassau Coliseum crowd, the New York Islanders persevered multiple times to earn their Game 1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Islanders thought they'd opened the scoring 33 seconds in, but Tom Kuhnhackl's goal was rightfully wiped out following an offside review, silencing the boisterous arena. However, Jordan Eberle tallied shortly thereafter, at the 1:40 mark, to whip the crowd into a frenzy again.
New York then rallied to win it after allowing Justin Schultz's late tying goal in the third. Josh Bailey buried the overtime winner after a great effort by Mathew Barzal less than five minutes into the extra frame.
The Islanders will need to show the same resiliency in hostile territory as well, but their ability to respond to adversity both early and late in Game 1 was the biggest reason they prevailed.
Binnington stays hot in playoff debut
Jason Halstead / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Jordan Binnington didn't appear phased at all in his first-ever postseason game.
The rookie St. Louis Blues goaltender outdueled the more experienced Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and allowed only one goal on 25 shots to lift St. Louis to a 2-1 victory in Game 1.
Binnington won 20 of his final 24 contests in the regular season, including eight of his last nine.
On Wednesday night, the 25-year-old proved fully capable of continuing that success in pursuit of the Stanley Cup with a stellar performance in his playoff debut.
Don't tell Heiskanen he's only 19 years old
Frederick Breedon / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Much like Binnington, Miro Heiskanen looked like a seasoned veteran in his first NHL postseason contest.
The young defenseman scored twice in the Dallas Stars' 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators, netting a power-play goal on a wrister in the second period and firing another one home in the third.
Heiskanen also logged more than 23 minutes of ice time. That was about on par with his regular-season workload, but only one teammate (Esa Lindell) and one opposing player (Roman Josi) played more than Heiskanen in Game 1.
The rookie blue-liner has been one of the best and most underappreciated first-year players in the NHL this season, but he won't be undervalued for long if he keeps this up in the playoffs.
Golden Knights come out flat
What a difference a year makes.
The Vegas Golden Knights put forth a lackluster effort until the final minutes of their 5-2 defeat to the San Jose Sharks. The Golden Knights certainly didn't look like the team that overwhelmed so many opponents en route to their run to the Stanley Cup Final last season.
Vegas managed only five shots on goal in each of the first two periods, and got completely outplayed by San Jose in the possession department as well.
Sure, it was only one game, and it was also on the road against a very deep Sharks club, but the Golden Knights obviously need a better effort in Game 2 if they want to avoid digging themselves into a deeper hole.
This year's first-round matchups in the Eastern Conference feature the strongest team in years, a pair of familiar foes meeting for a second straight spring, and a couple of resurgent clubs returning to the postseason after years of missing out.
Let's dive into each opening-round series in the East.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Prediction: Lightning in four
The Lightning put together a dominant regular season, and anything less than a Stanley Cup championship will be a disappointment for the NHL's top team.
Tampa Bay shouldn't have much difficulty with its first-round playoff opponent, as the club is simply too deep and too explosive for Columbus to handle. The Blue Jackets will likely struggle to contain Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and Co. in a best-of-seven series.
Adding Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel gave Columbus a little more scoring punch, but the Blue Jackets' attack still pales in comparison to the juggernaut they're matched up against in round one.
Barring a stunning flip of the script, this one should be over quickly.
X-factor for Lightning: Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper is hopeful that Victor Hedman will play in Game 1. The reigning Norris Trophy winner's health, or lack thereof, could determine his effectiveness early in the series.
The Lightning have proven they can get by without him. But if a nagging injury affects Hedman's availability or his play for an extended period, that could give the Blue Jackets a better chance to steal a game or two.
X-factor for Blue Jackets:Sergei Bobrovsky appears to have regained his form, but he'll need to be excellent in every game for the Blue Jackets to pull off a massive upset.
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
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Prediction: Bruins in seven
This highly anticipated rematch should once again provide plenty of intrigue.
While John Tavares may be leading the Maple Leafs this time around, the team is still weak defensively, and Frederik Andersen was shaky down the stretch in goal until his final two games.
Boston prevailed over Toronto in seven games last year, and the Bruins returned essentially the same roster in 2018-19. So while the Leafs could overwhelm the Bruins with their upgraded arsenal of offensive weapons, they may be hard-pressed to keep up at both ends of the rink once again.
Much was made about Auston Matthews' poor production in the 2018 series, but he should contribute more this year with Tavares' presence creating an added headache for two-way wizard Patrice Bergeron.
Toronto is deeper than last year, as Jake Muzzin provides depth on the back end and Andreas Johnsson does the same up front. But the Bruins still boast one of the best lines in the NHL, and they're among the league's top teams at minimizing goals against.
X-factor for Bruins: As usual, Bergeron should excel offensively between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak on the Bruins' top line. But his ability to contain the Leafs' collection of dynamic forwards will significantly impact the outcome of the series.
X-factor for Maple Leafs: The Leafs need Andersen to be at his best, and while his late-season issues don't provide much optimism, the playoffs give him an opportunity to wipe the slate clean.
Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
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Prediction: Capitals in five
The defending Stanley Cup champions meet the so-called "jerks" as the Capitals begin their title defense against the team that took the league by storm.
Washington is the clear favorite here, and for good reason. The Capitals hardly missed a beat during the regular season en route to their fourth straight division crown, and they won all four meetings with Carolina in 2018-19.
The Hurricanes ended the NHL's longest active playoff drought when they qualified this spring, but Carolina simply can't match the depth of their first-round opponents.
Carolina deserves credit for exceeding expectations and embracing fun during a magical regular season, but it'll be tough for the Hurricanes to keep up with the Capitals.
X-factor for Capitals:Alex Ovechkin was exceptional throughout the postseason last year, and he's showing no signs of decline at age 33. The superstar forward can still break a game open in the blink of an eye, and while the Capitals have a deep, versatile roster around him, he's the catalyst.
X-factor for Hurricanes: Petr Mrazek emerged as the Hurricanes' No. 1 netminder toward season's end, winning 11 of his final 13 starts with a .944 save percentage. He doesn't have much playoff experience, but the veteran has posted a .927 save percentage in 11 career postseason appearances.
New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Prediction: Penguins in seven
Barry Trotz's system transformed the Islanders during his first season behind the bench in New York, creating a defensively rock-solid club that sailed past expectations following Tavares' offseason departure.
The Islanders also have offensive talents at their disposal, but they ranked in the bottom third in goals per game and will need Mathew Barzal, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, and Josh Bailey to produce in this series.
But will the well-balanced Islanders be deep enough to vanquish the experienced, playoff-tested Penguins?
The Penguins' back-to-back championship core is still largely intact, and Trotz's mastery might not be enough to lift a less experienced Islanders squad past Pittsburgh in New York's first playoff series since 2016.
X-factor for Islanders:Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss earned the William M. Jennings Trophy for their stellar play after splitting time in the crease. But Lehner has logged only two postseason appearances (no starts), with 49 minutes of playoff experience to his name. Greiss doesn't have much postseason experience himself, but the two will need to keep excelling in the playoffs for the Islanders to win.
X-factor for Penguins: Pittsburgh's defense will need to step up, as the team ranked 14th in goals allowed while surrendering the sixth-most shots per game in the regular season.
The Oilers fired McLellan and replaced him with Ken Hitchcock in November. LeBrun reported at the time that McLellan is still under contract for the rest of this season and 2019-20 at $3 million per campaign.
The Kings aren't bringing back interim bench boss Willie Desjardins for next season. He took over after Los Angeles dismissed John Stevens a couple of weeks before Edmonton's move last fall.
McLellan spent parts of four seasons behind the Oilers' bench after seven with the San Jose Sharks, arguably the Kings' biggest rival.
