Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen has been handed a one-game suspension for cross-checking Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher during Game 5 on Wednesday, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Thursday.

Gallagher suffered a broken jaw on the play and will miss the remainder of the series. Niskanen didn't receive a penalty for the hit.

"What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the force of the blow, and the fact that the original intent of the play was to deliver a forceful stick foul to the upper body of an opponent," the league said.

This marks the first time Niskanen has been suspended over his 13-year career. However, he was fined in February for slashing.

The 33-year-old blue-liner has yet to record a point this postseason. But he's logged important minutes for the Flyers, ranking second on the club in both average ice time (22:05) and blocked shots (19).

Philadelphia will look to close out the opening-round series without Niskanen in Game 6 on Friday.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher suffered a broken jaw, which requires surgery, and will miss the remainder of the club's opening-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, general manager Marc Bergevin confirmed Thursday, per TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Gallagher sustained the injury after being cross-checked by Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen during Game 5 on Wednesday. The 6-foot-1 rearguard was not penalized on the play but is scheduled for a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Thursday.

Gallagher, who scored his first goal of the postseason in the Canadiens' 5-3 victory, remained in the game despite being bloodied by the hit.

The gritty winger has mustered four points through nine playoff contests while averaging 16:56 of ice time per game.

The Canadiens will look to stave off elimination once again in Game 6 on Friday.

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The Vancouver Canucks beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3 in Game 5 on Wednesday to put the defending Stanley Cup champions on the brink of elimination.

Down 3-1 midway through the game, Vancouver struck for three unanswered goals in the second period to take a lead they wouldn't surrender.

More to come.

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Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier struggled to control his emotions during the final moments of his club's Game 5 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.

Just seconds after Phillip Danault buried an empty-netter to cement the Habs' 5-3 victory, Couturier levelled an unsuspecting Artturi Lehkonen away from the play.

The Canadiens took exception to the hit, and a subsequent melee ensued.

Couturier was assessed a game misconduct and a two-minute minor for cross-checking. Flyers forward Jakub Voracek and Canadiens captain Shea Weber were also handed a game misconduct for their roles in the dustup.

Montreal staved off elimination with the win. The Flyers will get another chance to advance in Game 6 on Friday.

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Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri is putting his poor playoff history behind him as he continues to shine this summer.

Kadri was suspended in each of the previous two postseasons while with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the 29-year-old believes he's turned a corner.

"Just reflecting on the time I spent in Toronto ... you want to learn from your mistakes," Kadri said following the Avalanche's 7-1 series-clinching win over the Arizona Coyotes, according to Colorado Hockey Now's Scott MacDonald.

"I'm more valuable on the ice than I am in the penalty box or the press box," he said, per NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.

With his second straight two-goal game on Wednesday, Kadri paces Colorado with six tallies this postseason. The dynamic pivot had mustered 10 career playoff points prior to 2019-20, and has already racked up 11 in eight games this summer.

Acquired by the Avalanche last offseason, Kadri said he's grateful for the seamless transition after spending the previous 10 seasons with the Maple Leafs.

"I'm just fortunate and lucky to come into such a great dressing room with such great teammates and a great organization that just gave me a chance to be who I can be," he said, per MacDonald.

"They've believed in me since I stepped in the door. I'm just trying to not let them down."

Kadri will now play beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim during the second period of Game 5 on Wednesday.

Sanheim, who ranks third among Flyers players in average ice time per game this postseason (19:56), remained in the contest despite being shaken up on the play.

Philadelphia converted twice on the ensuing power play with a pair of goals from Jakub Voracek.

The Flyers own a 3-1 series lead over Montreal and will advance to the second round with a win Wednesday.

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The Carolina Hurricanes appeared to be headed to a Game 4 victory and a 2-2 split in their best-of-seven series against the Boston Bruins on Monday when things went off the rails.

With Carolina up 2-0 in the third period, the Bruins rallied with four unanswered goals in just under seven minutes to claim an eventual 4-3 victory.

"That was, quite frankly, as ugly of a period that I've ever seen us play. ... We got it handed to us," Hurricanes forward Justin Williams told reporters after the loss.

He added, "Mentally, the sharpness wasn't there from everybody, and it snowballed into something we didn't want and we couldn't catch it in time."

The Hurricanes seized control in the opening 40 minutes, but the battle-tested Bruins would not be denied in the final frame. Boston held Carolina to just two shots on goal in the third period and completely took over:

(Corsi For rating, expected goals for percentage, high-danger scoring chances percentage)

Following the loss, Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour put the onus on himself to make sure the Hurricanes are better prepared to close out a big game.

"The lack of pushback that we needed is something that I haven't seen out of this group," he said, per TSN's Mark Masters.

"I'll take the heat for that," he continued. "I mean, I needed to have my guys better prepared for that third period that was coming. I'll learn as well."

The Hurricanes will look to stave off elimination in Game 5 on Wednesday.

(Advanced stats source: Natural Stat Trick)

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Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet lamented his club's performance after an embarrassing 7-1 loss in Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.

"Listen, we've all been embarrassed in life before," Tocchet said following the defeat, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "I played hockey. I've been embarrassed.

"I can't tell you a guy that played well tonight. We were embarrassed. It was men against boys today."

Colorado jumped out to a 3-0 advantage after a first period that saw the Coyotes muster just three shots on goal. The Avalanche owned a dominant 76.56% share of expected goals for and 82.35% of high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five overall, per Natural Stat Trick.

Coyotes starter Darcy Kuemper was chased from the net after allowing four goals on 22 shots following his sensational 49-save performance in Game 3.

Now facing a 3-1 series deficit, Tocchet challenged his team to show that they want to remain in the postseason.

"This whole bubble thing ... it's about who wants to stay," he said, per Wyshynski. "You can tell who wants to stay and who wants to go home. For this game, it looked like we wanted to go home. We'll see about the next game."

The Coyotes will look to stave off elimination in Game 5 on Wednesday.

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Boston Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask isn't feeling the typical intensity of postseason action without fans in the building.

"To be honest with you, it doesn't really feel like playoff hockey out there," Rask told reporters following Thursday's 3-2 loss.

"There's no fans so it feels like playing an exhibition game," he added.

The Vezina Trophy candidate said the traditional playoff format has helped build some excitement but that fans bring a crucial element to the competition.

"You play a best-of-seven series so there's going to be some battles going on and whatnot, but when you play at your home rink and you play at the away rink, and there's fans cheering for you and against you, and it creates a buzz around the series," he said. "So there's none of that, so it just feels dull at times."

Rask made 23 saves in the Game 2 defeat as the Carolina Hurricanes evened the series at one game apiece. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.

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Dallas Stars netminder Ben Bishop will start Game 2 against the Calgary Flames on Thursday after being deemed unfit to play for the series opener Tuesday, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

More to come.

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