So much of what's intriguing about the unique 2020 postseason can be summed up by the Eastern Conference's No. 8 vs. No. 9 qualifying series. Below is a breakdown of three representative storylines that began to take shape during the Columbus Blue Jackets' 2-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Defense beats offense

On one side of this series is an offensive powerhouse that ranked third in the league in goals per game this season but hasn't won a playoff round since the arrivals of its headlining stars - or, more specifically, since 2004. On the other stands a lockdown defensive team with a leading scorer who topped out at 49 points in 2019-20.

The Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets ended the regular season with identical .579 points percentages but are otherwise polar opposites, which explains why their encounter in the Eastern Conference qualifiers is so appealing. Coming out of short training camps and straight into meaningful games, this matchup doubles as a case study for a larger question: Which style is more conducive to immediate success in the bubble? Running, gunning, and seeking to score at will, or staying structured and composed for 60 minutes?

Count Game 1 - a quintessential Columbus win - as a point for the latter approach. Employing their signature high forecheck, the Blue Jackets stymied their opponents' breakouts at the source or otherwise choked them in the neutral zone. They mostly kept the Maple Leafs a safe distance from Joonas Korpisalo, whose 28-save shutout made for an admirable NHL playoff debut. Columbus was consistently first to the puck in the offensive end, winning corner battles and using timely pinches to stop counterattacks before they materialized. Scoring a minute into the third period, Cam Atkinson empowered the Blue Jackets to burn the remaining time without allowing any scoring chances of consequence.

A team unlocking and playing to its strengths has a major edge in a short series. The advantage is all the more apparent in matchups that feature clashing styles. Consider Game 1 of the New York Islanders' series against the Florida Panthers, in which defensively adept New York limited Florida's attack to a single Jonathan Huberdeau goal for a 2-1 win. The Blue Jackets' effort was similar. They were stingy, they didn't give Toronto's stars an inch all night, and they only needed to score once.

Blueprints to go deep

Ahead of any other year's 16-team playoff tournament, the Leafs and Jackets would have spent the final month of the season fighting tooth and nail for the final berths in the East. Their respective faults kept them from faring any better in 2019-20. Toronto was prone to breaking down in front of Frederik Andersen and to coming out flat on too many nights. Columbus scored one goal or was blanked in 19 of 70 games, typifying the squad's struggle to put the puck in the net.

Still, both clubs have the potential to make a run in the bubble, the Leafs thanks to their offensive weaponry - this shutout notwithstanding - and the Jackets thanks to the defensive fortitude that keyed their stunning sweep of Tampa Bay in 2018-19. One line of thought holds that the better teams that emerge from the qualifiers will have a leg up on their favored opponents who weren't seriously challenged in the round robin. They had to scrap for postseason survival from the jump and could theoretically generate momentum from there.

The Jackets started that journey auspiciously by following their blueprint to a tee in Game 1. Their first line - Pierre-Luc Dubois between Alexandre Texier and Oliver Bjorkstrand - produced four high-danger scoring chances and 58.62% of shot attempts when they played together at 5-on-5. Dubois was especially noticeable: he drew a penalty and created several chances with his footwork, strength on the puck, and incisive passing. As usual, Zach Werenski and Seth Jones were horses on defense, logging more than 25 minutes apiece and limiting the damage Auston Matthews' line caused.

The Leafs weren't bad, but one goose egg is plenty in a best-of-five series. Considering the dearth of open space Toronto puck carriers had to operate and shoot, it would help to earn more power plays than the one they failed to convert. So would kindling havoc, or even a single rebound opportunity, in front of Korpisalo on those shots that do squeeze through.

The Leafs have to score to expose the limitations of the Jackets' offense. That Atkinson was the player to capitalize on an opening and beat Andersen blocker-side - on what could have been a nothing play - ultimately made all the difference.

Lafreniere lottery looms large

For at least a day following the qualifying round, the eight squads that were bounced posthaste are bound to find comfort in a silver lining. That would be the equal 12.5% chance they'll have to win the draft lottery a week from Monday, which would confer them the privilege of leapfrogging Detroit, Ottawa, and the rest of the league's dregs to bring aboard consensus top prospect Alexis Lafreniere.

No player or coach would say this publicly, but for some teams perceived to have no hope to go deep this year, it might seem preferable to lose immediately and bank on those 1-in-8 odds delivering. Toronto and Columbus don't fit that bill, but it's indisputable that in either franchise's case, Lafreniere would constitute a heck of a consolation prize.

Picture the Jackets blowing this one-game lead, subsequently getting lucky, and adding the sort of thrilling offensive talent they've sorely lacked since Artemi Panarin left to sign with the Rangers last summer. If Dubois is an elite two-way center in the making, imagine how much more clinical his line could look with Lafreniere fashioning oodles of scoring chances from the left wing.

Depending on your allegiance, what a dreamworthy and nightmarish scenario it would be in equal turn if Lafreniere joined Toronto's embarrassment of riches up front. Right now, the Leafs are cap-strapped with Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander signed long-term for big money. Integrating Lafreniere on a three-year entry-level deal would change that calculus, affording GM Kyle Dubas the option to try to flip, say, Nylander for a comparatively good defenseman without sacrificing any scoring punch.

To be sure, Toronto's season is by no means almost over, and it's 87.5% likely that whichever club winds up falling short here won't win the lottery. But the slim flipside possibility is significant for what it signals to teams in similar situations, those that Lafreniere could elevate immediately into contention. Think of him teaming with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton, or of him injecting life into the Predators' or Islanders' pedestrian forward corps. Only in 2020 are these outcomes conceivable.

Likewise, you don't have to strain to envision the transformative impact Lafreniere could have on Columbus or Toronto's fate - one bonus reason this series is so enticing. On to Game 2 on Tuesday afternoon.

Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.

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The NHL's bubbled postseason continued Sunday in Toronto and Edmonton. Here are three takeaways from the Arizona Coyotes' 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators; the Philadelphia Flyers' 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins; and the Colorado Avalanche's 2-1 defeat of the St. Louis Blues.

(Note: This post will be updated with commentary about the Vancouver Canucks-Minnesota Wild matchup, while the Toronto Maple Leafs-Columbus Blue Jackets game will be covered in a separate post.)

Kadri flips the script

Somehow, someway, Nazem Kadri and the Avalanche defeated the Blues in regulation Sunday night.

Kadri - who's been on the wrong end of some notable playoff moments in recent years (see: multiple suspensions) - whacked the puck into a yawning cage with 0.1 seconds remaining in the third period, his internal clock telling him to hurry as he launched into the crease.

"Not quite down to the decimal point," he said. "But I knew there wasn't much time left."

The positive outcome represents a flipping of the script for a fiery competitor known more for his playoff shenanigans than glorious moments thanks to his roller-coaster tenure in Toronto, and the miraculous tally counts as the craziest sequence of the first two days of hockey in this 24-team restart.

Saturday's madness set a high bar, too: the early-game fisticuffs in Carolina Hurricanes-New York Rangers, the jaw-dropping upset in Chicago Blackhawks-Edmonton Oilers, and the nonstop overtime action of Pittsburgh Penguins-Montreal Canadiens.

Kadri's tally also holds great practical value for the Avs, with Colorado now 1-0 to St. Louis' 0-1 as the Western Conference's four best squads duke it out for seeding in the round of 16.

Regular-season points percentage is the tiebreaker, so the Blues have the upper hand over the Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars. Yet, heading into Monday's slate of games, which includes Dallas versus Vegas, it's the Avs who are in an enviable position. They were unbelievably close to needing overtime, but the West's top seed is now theirs to lose.

Will we look back on this goal in a couple of weeks and wonder what could have been for the Blues if they draw a tricky first-round opponent and are forced to empty the tank while the Avs cruise to a sweep? When line-matching becomes more prevalent later in the postseason, how crucial will intraconference home-ice advantage prove to be?

Those questions are completely hypothetical at this point, but there's no denying these round-robin games count for something, despite the distinct difference in intensity compared to the contests in the eight elimination series.

Kadri called Sunday's showdown "as close to a real playoff game as you can get" under these circumstances. It wasn't as hotly contested as some of the other games we've seen so far, but both teams were trying to get back into the routine of competition. They accomplished just that, and neither will forget the outcome.

"At 0.1, it's on the line and at 0.0 it's in the net," Blues forward David Perron said. "I'm sure it's as close a goal as you'll ever see."

"Luckily, it worked out," Kadri said.

A different kind of victory

The Bruins both won and lost on Sunday.

The loss is obvious. That occurred on the ice against the Flyers. It's safe to say the Presidents' Trophy-winning Bruins - who have the least to gain in the three-game round robin in the Eastern Conference due to the reseeding format - won't revisit this lackluster showing in an effort to boost team morale. In the words of Boston coach Bruce Cassidy, the typically hyper-focused group was still stuck "a little bit in summer hockey mode."

More specifically, Bruins skaters - from the top line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand to the club's depth players - weren't making smart decisions with the puck. Similar to the cuteness the Pittsburgh Penguins displayed early in their postseason debut Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, Boston sacrificed prime shooting opportunities for extra passes or dekes versus Philadelphia.

"I'm thinking we need to make a better play with the friggin' puck," Cassidy said on a postgame Zoom call, emphasizing how mental rust plagued the team. It'll be fascinating to watch how Boston responds Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sunday's uninspired effort was the Bruins' mulligan.

As for the win, well, just look at this shirt on forward Par Lindholm:

Bruins players donned one of two anti-racism tees during their pregame walk inside the rink - the one above, which says "End Racism," and another that says "Listen. Learn. Change." Players and coaches linked arms during the national anthems in a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

"Matt Dumba's comments yesterday, I thought, were very strong and heartfelt," Cassidy said. "We're trying to get behind eradicating racism. Listening, learning, educating, changing the social injustices. I believe that's what the players were representing and will continue to represent. That was the impetus behind the dress code today."

In Edmonton's Rogers Place, the Predators wore matching black shirts, too.

"The message we want to send is equality throughout," Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said of the T-shirts, which simply read "Black Lives Matter."

"Equality for everyone is important for today's society," he added. "We're looking to be a positive change in that sense."

Game 1 not kind to No. 95

It was a tough day at the office for Matt Duchene.

Eight minutes into the first period, a Coyotes point shot deflected off Duchene's shoulder and past goalie Jusse Saros to open the scoring. It was a classic case of bad luck, as Duchene was standing near the bottom of the left faceoff circle minding his own business when Oliver Ekman-Larsson's one-timer ricocheted off Kyle Turris and found the star's upper body.

Six-and-a-half minutes later, Duchene took a holding penalty just after being knocked to the ice by a body check. The Coyotes scored on the ensuing power play.

Frankly, Duchene hasn't played up to his seven-year, $56-million contract throughout this campaign. He contributed 42 points in 66 regular-season contests, or 0.64 points per game. In his previous 10 years in the NHL, Duchene produced below 0.65 points per game only twice. Points aren't everything - Duchene typically posts strong puck possession numbers, which is helpful - but the Predators surely expect more out of him.

On Sunday, Duchene finished with a team-low expected goals share (42%) during even-strength action, according to Natural Stat Trick. This sub-50% share suggests the Coyotes outplayed the Predators when Duchene was between the boards. (In terms of strictly shot attempts, Duchene broke even, with Nashville both generating and conceding 14 attempts.)

The 29-year-old also lost five of seven faceoffs. He was out for two goals against and two goals for in around 16:30 of ice time. One positive: Duchene picked up a secondary assist on the Predators' third tally.

Full marks to Arizona for the win; it was well-earned. However, Nashville needs better individual performances in Game 2, and that starts with Duchene, who lit up the 2019 postseason as a member of the Jackets. He had 10 points in 10 games, including seven in a stunning sweep of the Lightning. Recapturing that magic could go a long way.

John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.

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Cam Atkinson scored early in the third period and Alexander Wennberg added an empty-netter as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 in the opening game of their qualifying-round series Sunday night.

Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo stopped all 28 shots he faced in the victory, while Maple Leafs netminder Frederik Andersen turned aside 33 of the 34 shots Columbus fired his way.

Atkinson was involved in both Blue Jackets goals, registering a secondary assist on Wennberg's tally after the Maple Leafs pulled Andersen for the extra attacker.

Columbus outshot Toronto 27-17 over the final 40 minutes.

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The Vegas Golden Knights will turn to their trade deadline acquisition in goal when they begin round-robin play against the Dallas Stars.

Robin Lehner is getting the start Monday, Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters, including The Athletic's Jesse Granger, on Sunday.

Vegas' leading scorer, Max Pacioretty, won't suit up for Monday's contest, but DeBoer said the forward's return is "on the horizon here for sure."

Marc-Andre Fleury, the team's No. 1 goaltender, stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced in a 4-1 exhibition victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday.

DeBoer said in July he's "not going to be afraid to play either" netminder in the postseason. Fleury said at the time he was fine with competing for the starting role in the playoffs.

The 35-year-old veteran, who's been Vegas' starter since the club's inception, went 27-16-5 with a .905 save percentage and minus-6.5 goals saved above average in 49 games during the 2019-20 regular season.

Lehner, who turned 29 in July, won all three of his starts after joining the Golden Knights, posting a .940 save percentage in those victories. He went 16-10-5 with a .918 save percentage and 10.17 GSAA in 33 contests with the Chicago Blackhawks before the February trade.

Pacioretty has been rehabbing a minor injury and didn't travel with the team last weekend when it flew to Edmonton to enter the Western Conference bubble. The 31-year-old winger led the Golden Knights with 32 goals and 66 points in 2019-20.

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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored the first of Arizona's three first-period goals, a healthy Phil Kessel had two assists and the Coyotes held on to beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 Sunday to open their Stanley Cup qualifier series.

The Coyotes made the most of their first postseason appearance since 2012, scoring three goals in the opening period on their way to building a 4-1 lead.

The Predators rallied behind two goals by Filip Forsberg, the second midway through the third period, to cut Arizona's lead to 4-3.

Darcy Kuemper, who stopped 40 shots, held off Nashville's late push and the Coyotes snatched momentum heading into Game 2 of the best-of-five series on Tuesday.

Christian Dvorak, Clayton Keller and Michael Grabner also scored for Arizona.

Ryan Ellis also scored for Nashville and Juuse Saros stopped 33 shots.

Nashville was sixth in the Western Conference when the season was halted because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Coyotes were beneficiaries of the new playoff format for the restart, earning a spot in the qualifier after ending the regular season 11th in the West.

The Coyotes had to deal with a distraction before arriving in Edmonton, learning general manager John Chayka had resigned the day the team left for the bubble.

Once the puck dropped in Edmonton, Arizona had the early jump and scored the opening goal - thanks to a double carom.

Ekman-Larsson scored it midway through the first period on a shot near the blue line that hit Nashville center Kyle Turris' skate, bounced off teammate Matt Duchene's body and floated over Saros' head into the net.

Dvorak scored less than three minutes later, punching in a rebound of Kessel's shot past Saros. Keller made it 3-0 on a power play, one-timing a pass from Dvorak over Saros' glove shoulder.

In danger of being run out of the rink, the Predators breathed a little life into their hopes with a lucky bounce of their own. Forsberg got it, firing a power-play shot that Kuemper initially stopped before caroming off Arizona defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson's skate into the net with 2.5 seconds left in the opening period.

The Coyotes erased any Nashville momentum late in the second period when Grabner, Arizona's short-handed specialist, broke free on a Predators power play and beat Saros to make it 4-1.

The Predators needed 30 seconds of the third period to gain it back, scoring when a shot by Ellis caromed off Ekman-Larsson's skate past Kuemper. Forsberg cut Arizona's lead to 4-3 on a power-play shot from the slot, but the Predators couldn't get anything else past Kuemper.

NOTES: Coyotes C Nick Schmaltz did not play after taking a shot to the head in Thursday's exhibition against Vegas. ... Rinne had started every Predators playoff game since 2010, a streak of 89 straight games. ... Kessel had his 21st multi-point playoff game, third among active players behind Patrick Kane (34) and Joe Pavelski (24). ... Forsberg is Nashville's all-time leading postseason goals scorer with 24.

UP NEXT

Game 2 is Tuesday in Edmonton.

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Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba inspired the hockey world Saturday when he delivered a powerful speech against racism before becoming the first NHL player to kneel for the U.S. anthem.

Dumba, however, says he wishes he stayed on one knee once the Canadian anthem followed.

"To be honest, I kind of froze up," Dumba said, according to NBC Sports' Sean Leahy. "I know why I knelt. It wasn’t a sign of disrespect by any means. It was to shed light on the people who have lived through the injustice and oppression, especially in my home state of Minnesota. That's why I did it.

"I think my biggest regret is not doing it for the Canadian national anthem, as well because there is a lot of light that needs to be shed on what is happening in Canada and the oppression First Nations people have felt for hundreds of years. I was disappointed looking back on it because, like I said, I knew the reasons why I knelt. Just in the moment, it happened like that."

The Regina, Saskatchewan, native said he'll raise his fist during both the U.S. and Canadian anthems going forward.

"If I'm not in the starting lineup, I might be on the bench, and if I take a knee on the bench, they might not even be able to see me," Dumba said.

Dumba, who was the Wild's nominee for the 2020 King Clancy Trophy, embraced the backlash he received on social media and called out those who took issue with his message.

"Keep it coming," said Dumba. "It kind of sheds a light on them and the people that follow them. Their friends, their family, can see their beliefs and how they view the world and see the negative light that they're trying to shed on this.

"For all the people who have the courage in their fingertips sitting behind a keyboard, I know half the stuff you wouldn't say to my face if I was standing right in front of you."

Dumba is part of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, which was created in June by current and former NHL players to eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey.

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Drake Caggiula has been suspended one game for a hit to the head of Edmonton Oilers forward Tyler Ennis on Saturday, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.

More to come.

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