St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube, Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss Jon Cooper, and Barry Trotz of the New York Islanders are the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, the NHL announced Friday.

Berube took over for the fired Mike Yeo in November, guiding the Blues to a significant turnaround and a 38-19-6 record over their final 63 games. St. Louis finished third in the Central Division, qualifying for the postseason after winning only seven of its first 19 contests.

Under Cooper, the Lightning captured the Presidents' Trophy with a mark of 62-16-4, posting one of the best regular-season records in NHL history.

Trotz helped the Islanders finish second in the Metropolitan Division in his first season with the club, completely transforming them into a defensive juggernaut.

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Welcome to Art of the Mask, a new video series in which theScore sits down with some of the world's top netminders to talk about goalie mask art.

In Episode 3, NHL prospect and North Bay Battalion goalie Christian Purboo walks us through his mask's pop culture-inspired elements. From Tupac to "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" to Winnie-the-Pooh, there's a lot of character to Purboo's mask art.

Previously in this series:

• Philipp Grubauer of the Colorado Avalanche
• Filip Gustavsson of the Belleville Senators

Don't forget to subscribe to theScore's YouTube channel. Be sure to rate the video and leave a comment, too!

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Boston Bruins super-pest Brad Marchand is up to his old tricks against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Marchand's antics began in Game 1 of the second-round series when he appeared to intentionally stomp on and break the stick of Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson during an overtime faceoff.

Asked about the play, Marchand replied in typical tongue-in-cheek fashion.

"I think he was trying to dull my blade there," Marchand said, according to Conor Ryan of Boston Sports Journal. "Send me to the room, get it sharpened. It's kind of rude of him to do."

The 29-year-old Atkinson is well aware of the pesky Bruin's intentions and isn't getting caught up in his tactics.

"Hey, if that's how he wants to roll," Atkinson said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "I don't know, that's who he is. I'm not going to let it get to me. It is what it is."

The goal-scorer even made light of the situation.

"He owes me $300," Atkinson said, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli. "I'm expecting that. Cash. Straight cash."

Marchand's shenanigans continued off the ice when he directed comments at former teammate Riley Nash, whose big hit on David Krejci forced the Bruins center to leave the game.

"I don't think he had a hit in two years with us," Marchand said Friday, according to Matt Kalman of WEEI. "So obviously everybody's bought into their system and the way they play."

The Bruins won the opening tilt 3-2 in overtime on Charlie Coyle's fifth goal of the postseason. Game 2 is set for Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston.

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The Boston Bruins' top-six forward group requires no introduction.

Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, David Krejci, and Jake DeBrusk are household names, and the sixth piece, sophomore winger Danton Heinen, is playing his way into the hockey world's consciousness.

Meanwhile, Marcus Johansson and Charlie Coyle, two more recognizable faces, drive the third line. The duo starred in Boston's 3-2 overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, with Coyle scoring the game-tying and game-winning goals. The Bruins now lead the best-of-seven, second-round series 1-0.

Now, while the top six plus Johansson and Coyle - let's call it the top eight - no doubt carries the Bruins' offense, four forwards still need to fill out head coach Bruce Cassidy's lineup card every night. Usually, that's third-line right winger Chris Wagner and a fourth line consisting of Sean Kuraly, Joakim Nordstrom, and Noel Acciari.

But these relatively anonymous NHLers aren't hanging on for dear life, or simply enjoying the playoff ride. The fourth line, in particular, has managed to put its stamp on the early stages of Boston's run. The trio's contributed only 15 percent of the team's 26 goals, but its production has coincided with some key moments, including Acciari's shorthanded marker on Thursday.

Acciari, who went unpicked in the NHL draft and then signed with the Bruins as a college free agent in 2017, hopped on his horse midway through the first period and made the Jackets pay. Pierre-Luc Dubois had turned the puck over at the Bruins' blue line and Acciari countered with a straight-line rush:

The 27-year-old Acciari is in his second full NHL season. He's earning every cent of his $725,000 salary, leading all Boston forwards in shorthanded ice time so far by skating on the penalty kill for just over two minutes per game.

Kuraly, a Cassidy favorite, is Acciari's PK partner. The 133rd pick in the 2011 draft was acquired in the Martin Jones trade with the San Jose Sharks and makes $1.275 million. The feisty, smart, and responsible 26-year-old missed the first four contests of Round 1 to nurse a broken hand before scoring a huge goal in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs while adding an assist.

Nordstrom, a 2010 third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, is also in his mid-20s (27) and cheap ($1 million). An unrestricted free-agent signing last July, he plays 1:29 a night on the PK and has a pair of goals and an assist in these playoffs.

When you do the math, that's four goals and three assists for seven points in eight postseason games from three penalty-killing fourth-liners. The Bruins' PK, by the way, has allowed just three goals on 20 power-play opportunities. Combined, Acciari, Kuraly, and Nordstrom eat up roughly $3 million in cap space.

Not. Too. Shabby.

Tarasenko burns Stars

The St. Louis Blues-Dallas Stars series, which also opened Thursday, is being viewed by many through the lens of goaltending. And why not? Jordan Binnington and Ben Bishop are two of the world's finest netminders right now.

Yet, as the Blues drew first blood, winning Game 1 in Missouri by a final score of 3-2, it was forward Vladimir Tarasenko who stole the show.

Tarasenko had a trying regular season by his lofty standards, finishing with 33 goals and 35 assists for 68 points in 78 games. Then he bagged two in St. Louis' opening-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. Decent.

Was it all a warm up? A warning to the rest of the Western Conference?

On Thursday, Tarasenko solved Bishop twice, doubling his playoff goal tally in the process. The Russian's sniping ability was the difference in a game with only 49 combined shots.

His first of the night went five-hole and capped off a pretty few seconds of post-faceoff puck movement from the Blues' top power-play unit. It was the definition of a goal-scorer's goal. Accurate as hell. Released quick. Vintage Tarasenko:

On his second, Tarasenko blew past Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen off the rush and roofed the puck after eluding a Bishop poke check. It came at five-on-five against a stud rookie, but boy, you could see the goal coming from a mile away.

Plain and simple: If Dallas plans on stealing one game on the road, it better have an answer for No. 91 in blue during Game 2 on Saturday afternoon.

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said Thursday it's "imperative" to get Mitch Marner signed before July 1, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel.

If the Leafs don't sign Marner to a contract before July 1, he would be left exposed to restricted free agency, where another team could sign him to an offer sheet. This would prove problematic for the salary-cap crunched Maple Leafs, who would be forced to match the offer in order to retain Marner's services.

The Maple Leafs project to have roughly $13 million in cap space for next season, and Marner could potentially demand an annual figure north of $10 million. Key forwards Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen are also RFAs this summer.

Marner is coming off a breakout 94-point season, which led the Leafs and ranked 11th in the NHL.

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The historically great Tampa Bay Lightning are long gone. So is the Western Conference's top team, the Calgary Flames. Heck, all four of the NHL's division winners are already out of contention following an unpredictable opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Which teams left standing have the best chance of competing for the Cup? Let's dive into each second-round series.

Boston Bruins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Prediction: Bruins in six (Game 1 is Thursday)

For a team that pulled off the most astounding upset in recent memory, it's striking how long it's been since the Blue Jackets featured in the daily playoff conversation. That's a testament to how quickly they trounced the Lightning, which earned Columbus nine days of rest as it awaited the end of Boston's seven-game victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The odds of Columbus inflicting further havoc on the Eastern Conference bracket could depend heavily on special teams. The Bruins' adept power play racked up seven goals against the Leafs, but the Jackets killed off 85 percent of the penalties they took this season, which tied for the best rate in the NHL. And though their own 28th-ranked power play was desultory all year, something clicked against Tampa Bay, as Columbus scored five goals with the man advantage in 10 tries.

Several Blue Jackets were terrific in Round 1. Matt Duchene scored three goals and added four assists. No. 3 defenseman David Savard spent much of the series hounding Tampa's best forwards, a role he could reprise against Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Full credit must also be allotted to Sergei Bobrovsky, whose .932 save percentage overall and .943 at even strength were much better marks than his .913 and .915 figures, respectively, in the regular season.

Can Marchand, Bergeron, and David Pastrnak excel against Columbus where Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Steven Stamkos faltered? Given how strong they came on in Boston's last four games against Toronto, it seems likelier than not that they'll get theirs. The more pressing question might be whether Tuukka Rask, like Bobrovsky, can sustain the impenetrability he flashed in Round 1 (.928 save percentage, .938 at even strength).

The Jackets have a legitimate shot to author a storybook run, but Boston, like Tampa, is the markedly superior team on paper. All told, the Bruins prevailing in a long series is the safest bet.

X-factor for Bruins: Jake DeBrusk. The 22-year-old left winger didn't score against Toronto until the second period of Game 6, but his 27 goals this season were fourth-most on the team. DeBrusk could break out in Round 2 if head coach Bruce Cassidy keeps Pastrnak on the second line with him and David Krejci.

X-factors for Blue Jackets: Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. Savard mostly got the toughest assignments against the Lightning, but considering fellow defensemen Ryan Murray and Adam McQuaid are sidelined with long-term injuries and Markus Nutivaara might miss the start of this round, the Jackets' stud pairing will again be counted on to log major minutes in all stages of the game. - Faris

New York Islanders vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Prediction: Islanders in six (Game 1 is Friday)

Nobody - absolutely nobody - predicted this scenario back in September. Sure, the Hurricanes had a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade, but winning a series seemed out of reach. The Islanders, meanwhile, weren't supposed to be relevant in Year 1 of the post-John Tavares era, with the hockey world quickly writing them off as a lottery team. Yet here we are.

Now, as the squads get set to battle for a spot in the Eastern Conference Final, respect is overflowing. These teams play an honest brand of hockey. They are hard-working outfits who care deeply about keeping the puck out of their own net. Carolina feeds off its puck-moving blue-liners, whereas New York annoys opponents with a relentless forecheck.

So, who has the upper hand? Probably the Isles. They are rested, own home-ice advantage, and are led by likely Jack Adams winner Barry Trotz. The 'Canes will counter with a mix of supreme confidence and an underdog mentality after ousting the defending Cup champion Washington Capitals.

The goaltending edge goes to New York, too. Robin Lehner, who stopped 130 of 136 shots against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1, provides tremendous stability for the Isles. His counterpart, Petr Mrazek, skated away from the opening round with an ugly .899 save percentage despite recording a shutout in Game 3.

On offense, the Hurricanes possess more firepower. Against the Caps, they received contributions from big-game players Justin "Mr. Game 7" Williams (one goal, three assists), Warren Foegele (four goals, two assists), and Jordan Staal (three goals, three assists). The Isles, on the other hand, are known for pouncing on high-quality chances created off sustained zone time, as Jordan Eberle and his four-goal performance against Pittsburgh exemplified.

Neither power play is clicking right now, which shouldn't be a surprise. The Isles finished the regular season ranked 29th in PP proficiency, whereas the 'Canes sat 20th. Perhaps they'll cancel each other out in this head-to-head battle, and the better five-on-five club will be rewarded with a series victory.

X-factor for Islanders: Anders Lee. As New York's captain and top sniper, Lee needs to mark up the scoresheet with more regularity. He produced a goal and two assists in Round 1, which isn't bad, though certainly isn't enough. The Isles may be feisty throughout their four lines, but every member of the Lee-Barzal-Eberle trio must drive the bus in regards to goal-scoring.

X-factor for Hurricanes: Andrei Svechnikov. While his return from a concussion is far from a guarantee, Svechnikov's still a potential series-altering piece for Carolina. The Russian rookie was fantastic in the opening round, and then got punched out by Alex Ovechkin. He's dangerous, dynamic, and gradually saw his ice time rise over the course of the regular season. - Matisz

St. Louis Blues vs. Dallas Stars

Prediction: Stars in seven (Game 1 is Thursday)

You'd have to strain to find a less likely pair of conference semifinalists. The Blues were last in the NHL standings at New Year's and the CEO of the Stars said his two leading scorers were playing like "f---ing horses---" just a few days earlier.

Such are the depths from which these two teams rose over the past few months. Now, one of them is assured a berth in Round 3.

During Round 1, St. Louis won four games by a single goal to eliminate Winnipeg in a closely contested matchup. Goalie Jordan Binnington's .908 save percentage was well below his .927 mark from the regular season, but the Blues generated timely, balanced offense through their top two lines and No. 1 defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Second-line winger Jaden Schwartz finished the job by scoring the last four goals against the Jets: the go-ahead winner with 15 seconds left in Game 5 and a hat trick to clinch the series in Game 6.

The Stars are a study in contrasts. They allowed the second-fewest goals (200) in the league this season, but scored the third-fewest (209). They're a one-line team - Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, and Jamie Benn notched six points apiece in Round 1 against Nashville - but feature three strong defensemen in John Klingberg, Miro Heiskanen, and Esa Lindell. Vezina Trophy candidate Ben Bishop stopped 94.5 percent of the shots he faced against the Predators, and Dallas' strong penalty kill went 15-for-15 for the series.

Sure, St. Louis is deeper than Dallas, and Binnington deserves to be trusted on the basis of his stellar regular season. But when an outcome is in doubt, it's always sound to favor the team with an edge in the crease, and no goalie aside from Lehner is better than Bishop right now.

X-factor for Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko. Held scoreless at five-on-five against the Jets, the Blues' top sniper finished Round 1 with two power-play goals and a shooting percentage of just 8.7, similar to the 8.0 rate he posted throughout St. Louis' dismal opening three months of the season. Tarasenko is a 12.9 percent shooter for his career, and the Blues will maximize their chances of solving Bishop if he and linemates Ryan O'Reilly and David Perron can drive play.

X-factor for Stars: Mats Zuccarello. Seguin, Radulov, and Benn scored 43 percent of Dallas' goals this season, while Heiskanen, Lindell, and Klingberg accounted for another 16 percent. So, any offense that the bottom three forward lines can create against the Blues would constitute a huge boost. Enter Zuccarello, a trade-deadline acquisition who broke his right arm in his Stars debut on Feb. 24 but healed in time to bag three goals against Nashville. - Faris

San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche

Prediction: Sharks in seven (Game 1 is Friday)

Talk about two franchises going in opposite directions. The longtime contending Sharks, who defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in seven first-round games, will face a summer of transition when their season ends. They're old. Meanwhile, the young, upstart Avalanche are only beginning their ascent into a new, promising era after beating the top-ranked Flames in five.

The collision of these rosters should produce an overwhelming amount of entertainment during the course of a best-of-seven series. Think of the must-see skating talent (Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, etc.) intersecting with volatility between the pipes (namely San Jose's Martin Jones). That sure sounds chaotic, fun, and appetizing.

Overall, Jared Bednar and his top-heavy Avs squad are up against a deeper but more banged-up Sharks crew led by Pete DeBoer. Colorado is the slight underdog. The key question: Can their high-end forwards - MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog - produce more than San Jose's parade of 30-goal scorers in Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, Evander Kane, and (potentially sidelined) Joe Pavelski?

The answer will likely depend on which Jones shows up for the Sharks. The veteran netminder had a roller-coaster Round 1, posting game-to-game save percentages of .923, .571, .850, .714, .938, .983, and .895. This is a beautiful opportunity for an inconsistent goalie to change the narrative.

X-factor for Sharks: Erik Karlsson. When at full health, Karlsson remains one of the sport's best defensemen. Coming off a groin injury, he posted nine assists in the first round and was leaned upon heavily during overtimes in Games 6 and 7. The Sharks' power play did alright versus the Golden Knights, going 8-for-34, and Karlsson has the ability to elevate it further against the Avs.

X-factor for Avalanche: Cale Makar. The 20-year-old blue-liner suited up for three games against the Flames immediately after signing with the Avs. He scored a goal in his NHL debut, skated for 20 minutes in Game 4, and then earned an assist in Game 5. The sky's the limit for this kid, and the layoff between series should work to his advantage. He's now acclimatized to the spotlight and Bednar's system. - Matisz

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