Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips August 18, 2020

Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Lightning 2, Blue Jackets 1, Game 4: Five Takeaways PAGE 06: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets in a 3-1 series hole after a Game 4 loss to Lightning PAGE 09: Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets get scoring from unlikely sources in Game 3 loss PAGE 10: Columbus Dispatch: Rash of intense games catches up to listless Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 3 loss to Tampa Bay Lightning PAGE 12: The Athletic: Energy returns, but scoring woes haunt Blue Jackets in Game 4 loss to Lightning PAGE 16: The Athletic: In a grueling stretch, Blue Jackets may need to lean on depth to find energy PAGE 19: The Associated Press: Tampa Bay Lightning take 3-1 series lead on Columbus Blue Jackets

Cleveland Monsters/Prospects

NHL/Websites PAGE 21: The Athletic: DGB weekend power rankings: Sorting through the early contenders and pretenders PAGE 25: Sportsnet.ca: One big off-season question facing each NHL team eliminated in qualifying PAGE 27: Sportsnet.ca: NHL's top 20 UFAs of 2020: Latest rumours, reports PAGE 33: TSN.ca: Struggling power plays plaguing the NHL postseason

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Columbus Dispatch / Lightning 2, Blue Jackets 1, Game 4: Five Takeaways By Brian Hedger – August 18, 2020

They arrived with the best accessory items brought into the NHL’s Toronto quarantine "bubble." The Blue Jackets wore gray T-shirts to their first practice at the Ford Performance Centre on July 27, which featured a table-top hockey player dressed in Union blue and red who was encircled with the phrase: "Let’s Play Bubble Hockey!" Nine games later, the Blue Jackets’ bubble is one more loss from bursting, after losing a tough one, 2-1, to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena. Despite bouncing back with a strong effort in Game 4 of a best-of-seven series that began a week ago with a five-overtime lung- burner, the Jackets are now down three games to one with Game 5 on Wednesday. A stong performance by Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy plus two quick goals by Tampa Bay’s third line were the difference in what was arguably the best overall performance of this postseason for Columbus. The Jackets outshot the Lightning for the first time, 29-22, hemmed Tampa Bay into its own end and made Vasilevskiy come up with big stops in all three periods. There was also an overturned goal by Oliver Bjorkstrand just 1:11 into the game, a couple close shots that just missed the net and other frustrations that boiled up. In the end, though, it was another loss that put the Blue Jackets’ season on the edge of a cliff. Judging from the way this season’s gone, though, that might be where they need it to be. This is the team that lost three stars in free agency and is right back in the playoffs again, despite nearly every prognosticator predicting gloom and doom this year. This is the team that started out with two mostly unproven goalies and discovered both are high-caliber NHL starters. This is the team that lost nearly half its roster to injuries between December and the league’s COVID-19 pandemic pause March 12 and still patched enough holes with duct tape, chewing gum and Nathan Gerbe’s moxie to qualify for the postseason a fourth straight time. Can they overcome a 3-1 deficit in a playoff series? Why not? "We’ve done this all year, with injuries and people counting us out, so it’s just that ‘next game up,’ mentality," said defenseman Zach Werenski, who assisted on the Jackets’ goal scored by Cam Atkinson. "It’s a series. Yeah, we’re down 3-1, but it’s just that next game on Wednesday at noon. We have to find a way to win that one and from there we go." Here are five takeaways from Game 4: Not enough ‘blue’ for the Jackets It improved slightly, with Atkinson scoring because a rebound bounced off him in front of the net, but the Blue Jackets still aren’t getting to the Tampa Bay "blue paint" area enough. They are also allowing the Lightning to camp in front of Korpisalo, which has led to some key "greasy" goals that Tampa Bay isn’t usually known for scoring.

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According to a "heat map" posted on NaturalStatTrick.com, the majority of Blue Jackets even-strength shot attempts in Game 4 came from three main locations – the lower inside of the left face-off circle, bleeding into the low slot, the high slot above the circles and the upper portion of the right circle. The Lightning’s attempts formed a ‘u’ shape of locations that stretched from wing to wing, with its lowest point right in front of the Jackets’ crease – where "dirty" goals are often scored off loose pucks and rebounds. Atkinson got there for his goal, which was scored off Dubois’ shot from the high slot, but more teammates need to do the same. "Get more (pucks and bodies) to the blue, get more to their goalie (and) make it harder for him to see the puck, because he’ll obviously stop it if he does," Atkinson said. "You could see when we did score, just going hard to the blue and good things happen." Lightning’s new look ’gnats’ Back in late February, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois sat down with his scouting staff and Cooper to discuss what they should pursue at the NHL trade deadline. They decided upon gritty forwards with speed, toughness and non-stop motors, and then made deals to acquire two-thirds of their third line. They added Blake Coleman from the New Jersey Devils, Barclay Goodrow from the San Jose Sharks and matched them with one of their own grinders, Yanni Gourde. Those three have menaced the Blue Jackets in this series and did again in Game 4 – combining to score goals by Goodrow and Gourde in the first 4:09 of the second period for a 2-0 lead. The Jackets got solid minutes from their third line of Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and Atkinson, but the Lightning’s third group has produced more offensively in the series. They are also starting games and periods as the first forward line that coach Jon Cooper sends over the boards. "This is the reason we got ’em, right?" Cooper said. "We feel we’re a playoff team. It just comes down to winning in the playoffs ... we needed to be harder to play against. And ‘harder’ years ago used to mean physical, fighting, big, strong, and now today it means compete, speed and kind of ‘in your face’ hockey. And we needed those type of guys." Cooper called them ’gnats’ for their persistence and the Jackets need to find a way to keep them away from their net. More Korpisalo excellence Korpisalo is taking full advantage of Elvis Merzlikins’ undisclosed injury, which has made him the unopposed No. 1 goalie in this series. The 26-year old Finnish net-minder is back to the form that earned him an invitation to the NHL All-Star game in January, prior to a knee injury Dec. 29 that caused a two-month setback. Korpisalo looks quick, confident and has made several remarkable saves that have to rank among the top highlights among all goalies in this postseason. He robbed Toronto’s Auston Matthews of a what appeared to be a sure goal in Game 1 of that series, pushing over in the nick of time to glove a one-timer from the slot. He also made a great pad save in the final game of that series to preserve his second playoff shutout to eliminate the Maple Leafs.

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He also made a number of noteworthy stops among his NHL-record 85 saves in the Jackets’ five- overtime heartbreaker to open this series and has only added more to since. Korpisalo’s masterpieces in Game 4 occurred late in the second period, when Tampa Bay was on a power play looking for a back-breake going into the second intermission. It didn’t happen because the Blue Jackets’ goalie made five saves in those two minutes, including three in three seconds’ time. After stopping the first off Victor Hedman’s shot from the point, Korpisalo scrambled to stop the next two at the left post. Pat Maroon was denied first by Korpisalo’s right leg pad and then Tyler Johnson was stopped right after it with a save that in slow-motion looks like something from "The Matrix" movies. Johnson got to the puck, got off a wrist shot and Korpisalo blocked it with his right pad by somehow raising his leg several inches behind him while lying flat on his stomach. There is probably a yoga instructor somewhere who shed a few tears after that one. And we will still have at least one more game left to see what he does next. Cooper’s challenge and non-challenge The Blue Jackets took a quick 1-0 lead 1:11 into the game on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s rebound shot off Werenski’s backhand in the low slot. The Columbus bench was stoked and all was good until it was announced the play was under review for a possible offside violation 40 seconds before the goal. Replays showed that Alexandre Texier entered the zone a tick early, by a matter of inches, and the goal was negated. The Jackets continued to push, which was impressive, but got nothing for their efforts. They failed to score on 11 shots in the first period and then allowed the goals by Goodrow and Gourde just 4:09 into the second. Bjorkstrand’s overturned goal could’ve changed a lot, just as rookie Emil Bemstrom’s clank off the left post during a 5-on-3 in Game 3 could’ve impacted that game. It was an easy call for Cooper, whose video coach had time to review the play as the Jackets set up the goal. Atkinson’s goal in the second was a different story. Cooper didn’t challenge that one after Atkinson made slight contact with Vasilevskiy at the top of the crease. "I always look at those and, ‘Is it a sure thing?’" Cooper said. "It’s like the offside. So, the offside was a sure thing. We challenged that. I didn’t think (Atkinson’s) was a sure thing. Was Atkinson initially in the white paint? Yes. Was there contact? There’s no doubt he was going hard to the net, but for me, it wasn’t a game-changer." The Lightning still had the lead, too, and made it stand up. Another day game … seriously The NHL announced the start time for Game 5 on Monday and you could almost groaning from the Blue Jackets’ team hotel in the bubble. After handing the Jackets and Lightning a trio of 3 p.m. starts in the first four games, separated only by a 7:30 p.m. start in Game 3 on Saturday, the league has given both teams roughly 36 hours again to rest up for Game 5 at Scotiabank Arena. The Blue Jackets probably wouldn’t complain if you asked them about it, at least not publicly, but they had to feel a little disbelief when that was released.

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To briefly review, after going the full five games of a hotly-contested series against Toronto in the playoff qualifying round – including two overtime finishes – the Jackets started this series with a tough loss in the fourth-longest game in NHL history. They also got roughly 36 hours between a lackluster 3-2 loss in Game 3 and the opening puck-drop Monday afternoon. It didn’t seem to affect them at all, outplaying the Lightning most of the game, but that was after coach John Tortorella had summed up their previous defeat as the entire team "hitting a wall." If nothing else, at least the Jackets are learning even more about taking care of their bodies with little recovery time. Ought to be interesting to see what transpires Wednesday. Their "bubble" existence is now at stake.

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Columbus Dispatch / Blue Jackets in a 3-1 series hole after a Game 4 loss to Lightning By Brian Hedger – Augut 18, 2020

This time, tired legs and exhausted minds weren’t a problem. The issue for the Blue Jackets in Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday afternoon were opportunities missed and a brief letdown that lasted just long enough to be a real problem. Capitalizing on a pair of goals by their third line to start the second period, the Lightning held off the Jackets for a 2-1 victory at Scotiabank Arena that gave them a commanding 3-1 series lead in a best-of- seven series that’s a first-round rematch from last year. "We’re a resilient group, so I keep saying all along, ’You’re never out of the fight,’" said Cam Atkinson, who played after missing the previous two games with an undisclosed injury and scored the lone goal for the Blue Jackets. "We have another opportunity in a couple days. If we play like we did (in this game), I think we’re going to have success." The series continues with Game 5 at noon Wednesday in Toronto, when the Lightning can exact some revenge for the Blue Jackets sweeping them in historic fashion in the 2019 first round. Barclay Goodrow and Yanni Gourde scored goals for the Lightning in the first 4 minutes, 9 seconds of the second period for a 2-0 lead, and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made it stand up with 28 saves. "They’re like gnats," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said of his third line, which includes Goodrow, Gourde and Blake Coleman. "I feel like they’re always just buzzing around, and as you try to knock ’em away, they just never leave. And they’re pests. They put work ethic above everything else, they’re selfless players and they don’t have an ‘off’ switch. And they’re finally being rewarded for their work." Joonas Korpisalo hasn’t been rewarded more than once this series for his hard work in the Blue Jackets’ net, but he had another great game. Korpisalo finished with 20 saves and kept it a one-goal difference until he was pulled for an extra skater in the waning moments of the third. "Right (off) the bat, we played a great game, high-energy game," Korpisalo said. "Throughout the 60 minutes, I think that was our most complete game this series. We didn’t give them too much, and you know, one-goal game ... it is what it is." Those kind of games make close plays feel even worse, too. The Blue Jackets had an apparent goal by Oliver Bjorkstrand just 1:11 into the game overturned by Tampa Bay’s challenge for offsides, had a shot by Pierre-Luc Dubois on a solo rush up the right wing just miss the net in the third and then were called for having too many men on the ice with 1:07 left – with Korpisalo seated on the bench. "We can’t get frustrated," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "We’re still in a series. We improved in (creating scoring chances). We improved in our forechecking. We’ve just got to get ready for our next game and try to ... we need to make a couple more big offensive plays to score some goals. So, there’s no sense in being frustrated. We just get ready for our next game."

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The effort, overall, was arguably the best of the entire postseason for Columbus. That included a dominant first period, when the Jackets’ aggression offensively finally gave them extended time with the puck in the Tampa Bay zone. They also dictated most of the action and pace, and unlike the first period of Game 3, they didn’t let up after 12 minutes. What didn’t happen, though, was a goal for either team. At least, not one that remained a goal. The Blue Jackets appeared to take a 1-0 lead on their second shift when Bjorkstrand batted home a rebound of Zach Werenski’s backhand from the slot, but it was called off after Tampa Bay coach John Cooper challenged for a missed offside call 40 seconds earlier. The video review showed that rookie forward Alexandre Texier entered the offensive zone before the puck, which erased the goal. "It’s definitely tough, especially with how we started ... a great shift, get a goal, it gets taken back," said Werenski, who later assisted on Atkinson’s goal. "I think we still have good shifts after that. Their goalie makes some saves, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to bear down on those and hopefully we can play with a lead next game and score early." The overturned goal, plus Vasilevskiy’s 11 saves, were the Lightning’s main bright spots in the first, but it didn’t stay that way. Tampa Bay’s fortunes changed quickly in the second, when the Lightning’s third line gave the Jackets problems again. The goals by Goodrow and Gourde gave the Lightning all the momentum Columbus gained in the first. Goodrow scored 16 seconds into the first shift of the second period, converting a nice pass from Blake Coleman into a 1-0 lead, and Gourde deflected a shot by defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk past Korpisalo for the second goal. That one, however, snapped the Blue Jackets back into gear. They outshot the Lightning 8-0 during the next four minutes and Atkinson got one of the goals back at 5:48 to cut the Lightning lead to 2-1 with more than 14 minutes left. Driving hard to the net after a long wrist shot by Dubois, Atkinson scored his third goal of the postseason when the rebound hit him near the shoulder and bounced into the net. Tampa Bay’s coaching staff briefly considered challenging for goaltender interference, but opted against it. The Blue Jackets generated a few more great chances that could have tied it in the second, including two for Bjorkstrand right in front of the net, but Vasilevskiy denied them all. "You could see when we did score, just going hard to the blue (paint), good things happen," Atkinson said. "I thought we started taking over the second half of that game." They just couldn’t come all the way back despite the excellence of Korpisalo in net. His most difficult stretch was probably late in the second, when he had make five saves to keep the Lightning from scoring on a power play. Three of the stops happened in a span of three seconds against a long shot through traffic by Victor Hedman and two rebound shots by Pat Maroon and Tyler Johnson at the left post – the last two using his right leg pad while sprawled in the crease. It was sheer desperation, which the Blue Jackets must have the rest of the series.

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"We’ve done this all year, with injuries and people counting us out," Werenski said. "So, it’s just that ’next game up,’ mentality. Yeah, we’re down 3-1, but it’s just that next game on Wednesday at noon. We have to find a way to win that one and from there we go."

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Columbus Dispatch / Columbus Blue Jackets get scoring from unlikely sources in Game 3 loss By Adam Jardy – August 18, 2020

There wasn’t a lot of offense to go around for the Blue Jackets in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but a pair of new faces managed to enter the fray. Riley Nash and Eric Robinson each scored in the 3-2 loss that gave the Lightning a 2-1 series lead, giving the Jackets 13 different players with at least one goal during the NHL restart. As of Saturday night, that moved the Jackets into a tie with Calgary for the second-most different goal scorers this postseason, just one behind Vegas. Nash’s goal came 1:49 into the second period, tying the score at 1-1. Robinson’s goal came only 1:37 into the third, pulling the Jackets within one goal and ultimately setting the final score. Robinson has scored seven goals in 50 regular-season games spread across the past three seasons, but this was his first playoff goal. It came thanks to a pass from Alexander Wennberg, who spied Robinson cutting into the offensive zone after a line change. His initial blast was saved by Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, but Robinson continued up the left slot and hammered home the rebound. "Just got an early change with play down in the zone, so fortunate to come off the bench and Wenny finds me," he said. "The puck bounces around, and luckily it lands on my stick." Four Blue Jackets players have more than one goal this postseason. Pierre-Luc Dubois leads the way with four, and Cam Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Wennberg have two apiece. In 10 playoff games last season, the Blue Jackets had 30 goals scored by 16 different players. Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene tied for the team lead with five each. Atkinson, Gerbe still out For a second consecutive game, Atkinson and Nathan Gerbe were listed as "unfit to play" and did not skate for the Jackets. In the five-overtime loss in the series opener, Atkinson logged nearly 40 minutes of ice time but did not record a shot. Gerbe played for 17:23. "We’ve been dealing with injuries all season long," defenseman Seth Jones said. "It’s always been next man up for us. We’re not going to dwell on injuries or make excuses for injuries." Still killing Despite the fatigue issues, the Blue Jackets committed just one penalty in the loss. Wennberg was called for holding at 5:52 of the second period, but the Blue Jackets killed it off after allowing two shots. Tampa Bay is now scoreless on eight power-play opportunities in the series, and the Blue Jackets have not allowed one since Game 4 against Toronto. In eight postseason games this year, the Blue Jackets are 18 of 20 (90%) on the penalty kill.

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Columbus Dispatch / Rash of intense games catches up to listless Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 3 loss to Tampa Bay Lightning By Adam Jardy – August 18, 2020

The worry had been looming in the back of coach John Tortorella’s mind. In advancing past the qualifying round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and then battling the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 1-1 series split entering Game 3 on Saturday night, the Blue Jackets had accumulated a few extra miles on their skates. The five-game series against Toronto included a pair of overtime games, the second of which saw the Blue Jackets blow a 3-0 lead in the final minutes of regulation before losing. That forced a Game 5 that otherwise wouldn’t have taken place. Then came the fourth-longest game in NHL history, the epic 3-2 series-opening loss to the Lightning that took five overtimes to decide. And although the Blue Jackets responded with a 3-1 win to even the series, Tortorella wondered if the toll paid to get this far would eventually come due. It did Saturday night. After largely controlling the play for the first half of the first period, the Jackets mustered only seven shots during the final 40 minutes in a 3-2 loss that gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 series lead. Defenseman Seth Jones said the Lightning didn’t do anything different offensively to surprise the Blue Jackets. Forward Riley Nash, who had a goal and an assist for the Jackets, said the Tampa Bay defense was the same it had been through the first two games of the series. The problem was that the Jackets weren’t who they had been. “As a group, we’ve been waiting a little bit here,” Tortorella said after the loss. “I thought it was going to be the prior game, of hitting a wall with all the hockey that we’ve played. “I have to figure that’s what happened tonight, because it was the whole group of us. From the 12- minute mark of the first period, we’re not the team we need to be, obviously, in the series.” Until that point, Tortorella said he felt the Jackets had played possibly their best 12 minutes of the series. The Blue Jackets outshot Tampa Bay 9-2 and drew three Lightning penalties, two of which came in a span of nearly 30 seconds. With a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:26, the Blue Jackets nearly got on the board when Emil Bemstrom had an opportunity from a sharp angle just outside the left faceoff circle. With goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy frantically sliding to his right, Bemstrom had plenty of open net to aim for, but his one-timer hit the post instead. In all, the Jackets generated three shots with the two-man advantage, but it was a miss that loomed large as the game progressed. “You can play the what-if game all you want,” Nash said of the missed opportunity. “It doesn’t happen; that’s hockey. You’ve got to adapt and play on. “I don’t think it really took any momentum away. I thought we had really good looks.”

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From there, though, those looks started to dry up. From the 9:21 mark of the first period on, the Jackets were outshot 32-8. Alex Killorn gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead with 4:12 left in the first when he evaded Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard and beat goaltender Joonas Korpisalo between the pads. Nash tied the score early in the second period when he took a feed from Gus Nyquist and rifled a shot over the glove of Vasilevskiy. It was Nash’s first goal of the playoffs. But the Jackets’ tank soon began reading empty. They were outshot 16-4 in the second period, and the Lightning took the lead for good with goals in the final six minutes of the period from Brayden Point and Victor Hedman. For the game, the Jackets were out-hit 35-19 and had 18 giveaways compared with Tampa Bay’s five. “Just didn’t seem to have it,” Jones said. “It must be one of those games.” It wasn’t any one player in particular. Tortorella juggled his lines to open the third period, and youngsters Eric Robinson (5:43) and Bemstrom (6:16) combined for more ice time than they had accumulated in the first two periods (11:07). Robinson scored his first goal of the playoffs within the first two minutes of the third to make it 3-2, but the Jackets could not sustain the pressure. “That’s the thing that determines (it) for me: It wasn’t just one person, it was a whole group of men that just struggled tonight,” Tortorella said. Shortly after the game, the Blue Jackets announced that they would not practice Sunday in advance of today’s Game 4. It will be their ninth game in 15 days.

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The Athletic / Energy returns, but scoring woes haunt Blue Jackets in Game 4 loss to Lightning By Aaron Portzline – August 18, 2020

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ten observations from the Blue Jackets’ 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series: 1. So much better, but … It was evident from the early moments of Game 4 that the Blue Jackets had considerably more jump than two days earlier in Game 3. With their legs back underneath them, the offensive attack was significantly better, too. But to what end? The Blue Jackets spent long shifts in the Lightning end, and it wasn’t just the No. 1 line, either. The forward core, lifted by the return of veteran Cam Atkinson, sustained enough pressure. Defenseman Zach Werenski was an offensive catalyst for the first time in the series, and the chances flowed. But the Jackets mustered only one goal: a lucky-bounce goal off Atkinson during four-on-four play early in the second period. That was it, despite 29 shots on goal and several stretches when you could say they carried play. A disallowed goal (the play was offside) only 1:52 into the game didn’t help matters for Columbus. An early 1-0 lead — the all-important first goal — would have been massive for the Blue Jackets. “We need to score early,” Werenski said, “and when we do that, we can just kind of let ourselves go play our game. When you don’t score for a little while, things can start to get a little frustrating.” The Blue Jackets mostly dominated the first period, but it ended 0-0. (That’s life without enough high- skill finishers, right?) When the Lightning popped two early goals in the second period (0:16 and 4:09), it must have looked insurmountable. “We can’t get frustrated,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “We’re still in the series. We improved in that area. We improved in our forechecking. We just have to get ready for our next game. “We need to make a couple more big offensive plays to score some goals. There’s no sense in being frustrated — we just get ready for our next game.” 2. ‘Do or die’ Just eight days after the Blue Jackets staved off elimination against Toronto, they’re back in the hot seat, trailing this best-of-seven 3-1. Game 5 is Wednesday, a noon start. “Do or die, right?” Atkinson said. “Nothing we can do to solve that. We just have to get the job done. “Try to get the lead — I think that’s the most important thing. We played with a lot of confidence today, but we didn’t get many past (Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy). We have to make it a little harder for him. I do expect our best next game.” Expect the Blue Jackets to lean hard on their experiences this season: how they continued to win despite the loss of major free-agent talent, and how they continued to compete under a deluge of injuries.

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Just last week, the Blue Jackets bounced back from a crushing defeat in Game 4 of their qualifying series versus Toronto to win the series two nights later. The task now, of course, is to win the next three games … one at a time. “We don’t look too far ahead,” Tortorella said. “I love our team. I like the way they’ve handled themselves the whole time out here in the bubble. Certainly, we’ve got some work to do, but we just have to look to tomorrow and get ready for our next game. “Get about our business. That’s all you can do.” 3. Early gut punch The Blue Jackets took Sunday off to recharge their batteries after a woeful outing Saturday. It was clear from the start on Monday that it worked. They were full of juice. The second unit over the boards — forwards Alexandre Texier, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Oliver Bjorkstrand and defensemen Zach Werenski and Seth Jones — turned in maybe the best shift of the Columbus postseason. They had the Lightning hemmed in for 40 seconds, swirling about in the zone to the point where forwards and defensemen were interchangeable. Werenski made a nifty move to get around Tampa Bay forward Alex Killorn and fired off his backhand from the slot. The rebound fell to Bjorkstrand on the doorstep for the slam-dunk finish. But … The Lightning wisely challenged the goal, believing the play was offside when it entered the zone a whopping 40 seconds earlier. Replays showed they were right. Texier skated into the zone ahead of the puck because Dubois slowed the puck upon zone entry just before he crossed. “It’s definitely tough, especially with how we started,” Werenski said. “Great shift, get a goal, and it gets taken back. I think we still had good shifts after that, but … ” 4. Atkinson returns, scores Atkinson missed the previous two games with an undisclosed injury or illness, but he returned with a bang Monday. At 5:48 of the second period, right after the Lightning had scored two quick goals, Atkinson skated to the net to follow a Dubois shot toward Vasilevskiy. Atkinson and the puck arrived at the same time. The puck appeared to glance off Atkinson’s sweater, off Vasilevskiy and into the net. Atkinson appeared to brush against Vasilevskiy, but not in a manner that affected his ability to play the puck. It was his third goal of the playoffs and his 10th career playoff goal, the most in Blue Jackets franchise history. “It was good to be back,” Atkinson said. “It was frustrating not to play the last couple of games. “We did some good things. You could see the puck bouncing like crazy on a lot of plays. Overall, I thought we played a pretty solid game. We’ll look at what we did, take the positives, turn the page and be ready to go in a couple of days.”

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Atkinson played 17:44 — fourth among forwards — and had six shot attempts (three on goal), second only to Werenski (seven). He declined to say what injury or illness kept him out of the previous two games. 5. ‘More’ Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno has 0-1-1 in the first four games of this series. Gustav Nyquist has 0-1- 1. Boone Jenner has yet to register a point. It’s great that bottom-six forwards Alexander Wennberg, Riley Nash and Eric Robinson have scored goals, but at some point the Blue Jackets will need their veteran players to contribute offense. Asked how much more he needs from his veteran players, Tortorella was extremely brief. Not just one word, but one syllable. “More.” 6. Under review Two hits by Blue Jackets players were flagged for review after Monday’s game. Dubois was called for boarding at 4:08 of the third period when he blasted Killorn from behind, sending him headfirst into the end boards. A mighty scrum quickly formed around Dubois, and Lightning defenseman Zach Bogosian could be seen dumping his gloves to the ice. At 11:48 of the third, Foligno checked Tampa Bay defenseman Mikhail Sergachev hard into the end boards, appearing to hit Sergachev higher than a normal check. There was no penalty called on the play, but Sergachev immediately hit the deck in discomfort. Being flagged for review means only that the league plans to review it later in the evening to determine whether supplemental discipline is justified. 7. Dubois … just wide Nyquist helped spring Dubois on a breakaway midway through the third period, finding him with speed in the neutral zone and allowing him to get past Tampa Bay defenseman Ryan McDonagh through the right circle. But this is how the evening went for Columbus: Dubois fired from the right circle, a clean look on Vasilevskiy. It’s unclear whether Vasilevskiy got a piece of Dubois’ shot, but the puck sailed juuuuust wide of the far post. “When I shoot on a breakaway, I think it’s going in,” Dubois said. “But it didn’t. I tried to get another one later.” 8. Korpisalo strong again Count Joonas Korpisalo among the Blue Jackets players who looked rejuvenated by the off day Sunday. He stopped 20 of 22 shots, and neither of the goals he allowed was a softy. On the first one, Tampa Bay’s Barclay Goodrow was on the left doorstep when a pass from Blake Coleman made it through Korpisalo’s crease. An easy finish for Goodrow, his first of the postseason. On the second, Lightning forward Yanni Gourde got his stick on a slap shot by Kevin Shattenkirk, deflecting it past Korpisalo from short range.

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Korpisalo’s evening was not without highlights, either. In a split-second sequence, he denied two Lightning shots with his right pad. Pat Maroon tried to score off a deflected Victor Hedman shot, but Korpisalo sprawled to kick away the puck. Seconds later, Tyler Johnson gathered the puck and tried to lift it, but Korpisalo lifted his pad to deny it. 9. Stenlund debuts The Blue Jackets, looking for fresh legs and a power-play boost, summoned forward Kevin Stenlund from the “black aces” and sent him out for his Stanley Cup playoffs debut Monday. Stenlund centered a young fourth line, with Eric Robinson to his left and Liam Foudy on his right. He played 7:35 and generated just one shot attempt. On the power play, Stenlund worked the left-side half-wall, taking the place of fellow rookie Emil Bemstrom, who missed a wide-open cage during a five-on-three power play early in the Game 3 loss. There are two sides to the Bemstrom dilemma. On one hand, he’s a young player on a big stage for the first time, so it’s not like he’s a finished product. On the other hand, he was brought from Sweden to North America because of his one-timer, and he hasn’t really shown an ability to finish that shot in the NHL yet. “He’s still a young man, trying to understand,” Tortorella said. “He’s been bounced out of the lineup, then he’s back in again. This is all part of the process for a young player. “(That shot) has been a problem of Bemmer’s really all year, as far as hitting the net. But this is all part of it — part of growing up and understanding what it is to play on this stage, making those important plays at key times. This is a good experience for him.” 10. Some assembly required This is a weird one: The Blue Jackets won all 11 faceoffs in the first period. That would be quite an achievement even for a good faceoff team, but the Jackets have struggled on the dot in recent years. The last time a team won every faceoff in a period in which there were more than 10 draws — playoffs or regular season — was Oct. 22, 2015, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Vancouver won all 15 draws in the third period of a game versus Washington. … The Blue Jackets haven’t had the lead since the end of Game 2. Since then, the Lightning have held the lead for 71:29 of 120 minutes. … In addition to Bemstrom, Devin Shore was a healthy scratch for Columbus.

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The Athletic / In a grueling stretch, Blue Jackets may need to lean on depth to find energy By Aaron Portzline – August 18, 2020

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Stanley Cup playoffs have always been regarded as a battle of attrition. By the time the Cup is awarded after two months and four rounds, clubs are usually well into their depth charts, and the quality of play has degraded considerably from the start of the tournament. But here’s another wrinkle for 2020, a possible change brought on by the NHL’s grand “bubble” experiment to execute its postseason. Columbus coach John Tortorella admitted on Sunday that he and his coaching staff may treat the club’s “black aces” — the extra group of Blue Jackets players who don’t even practice with the regular starters — in a different way to combat an incredibly demanding schedule. Previously, clubs have made the call for a “black ace” when a starter is injured or not playing up to snuff. But the consideration now is to use the fresh legs as an infusion of energy. “Certainly,” Tortorella said. “Certainly that could come into play, yeah. We treat them as part of the team. We just can’t practice with all those numbers, that’s why they end up getting separated. But they’re part of the group. “As we keep moving forward, we’d certainly look at situations where we need help, and they’re part of it.” The Blue Jackets played a five-game qualifying series against Toronto in the span of eight days. They had just one day to catch their breath before the first-round series with Tampa Bay began, then the first game stretched into five overtimes. In a normal playoff year, there are one or two two-day gaps between games in a best-of-seven series, but that can’t be the case in the bubble. The Blue Jackets haven’t had more than a day off between games since they started playing Aug. 2. They’ve played 31 periods of hockey (the equivalent of 10-plus games) in 14 days before their off day Sunday, and Tortorella rolled just three forward lines and two defensive pairs for long stretches in some of the games. And it’s not like a break is coming, either. Game 4 is Monday at 3 p.m. If the series goes the full seven games, Columbus is looking at playing four more games in the next six days. “Sooner or later it catches up with the body,” Tortorella said on Sunday, an eye-opening admission for a coach who famously told players long ago during an overtime playoff game, “You’re not tired!” In one sense, the Blue Jackets got away with their Game 4 collapse against the Maple Leafs in the qualifying round. They had a 3-0 lead with 3:57 remaining but blew the lead and ended up losing in overtime. No big deal, right? They came back two days later and won Game 5 to advance. But imagine how much the Blue Jackets could have used a three-day break (ahhhh!) before the start of the Lightning series.

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The Blue Jackets could not get moving in Saturday’s Game 3 loss to the Lightning. It’s their legs and lungs that fuel the forecheck. It’s the forecheck that fuels most of Columbus’ scoring chances. When the legs and lungs have nothing to give, it’s ugly. The Blue Jackets generated only seven — seven! — shots on goal in the final 45-plus minutes of the game, despite trailing for the final 26 minutes. So where can Tortorella turn? When they left Columbus on July 26, the Blue Jackets brought 17 forwards, 11 defensemen and three goaltenders into the bubble, knowing that forward Josh Anderson (shoulder) would not be able to play early in the tournament. That’s four extra (healthy) forwards and five extra defensemen. The Blue Jackets are one of only four teams to bring 11 blueliners (Arizona, Carolina and Colorado are the others), but it made sense given the chronic back injury that defenseman Ryan Murray manages. Now, though, with an undisclosed injury to Cam Atkinson, the Blue Jackets are down to three healthy, extra forwards: Stefan Matteau, Kevin Stenlund and Nathan Gerbe, who is apparently cleared to return now after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury. Atkinson is said to be out indefinitely, but that doesn’t have to mean long-term. Needless to say, Anderson’s return to the lineup would be a huge boost. He made a dramatic impact in the Blue Jackets’ first-round sweep of the Lightning last spring, his size and speed playing a massive role on the forecheck. Anderson is with the Blue Jackets in the bubble, skating with the black aces and waiting for the all-clear on his surgically repaired shoulder. It has been 5 1/2 months since he had surgery on March 2, a surgery that required a 4-6 month recovery. Put another way: He’s probably drawing close to a return. A source told The Athletic in June that Anderson likely wouldn’t be ready until “September, as recommended.” That’s only two weeks away. The Blue Jackets made Kole Sherwood and Ryan MacInnis among the final cuts of training camp. They didn’t invite veteran forwards Marko Dano or Jakob Lilja to camp after the long “pause,” and Lilja has since signed to play next season in the KHL. It’s too late to bring them into the bubble now. Defensively, Columbus has Gabriel Carlsson, Adam Clendening, Scott Harrington, Markus Nutivaara and rookie Andrew Peeke waiting in the wings. It will be interesting to see if the Blue Jackets make subtle lineup changes Monday to infuse fresh legs into the lineup. The Blue Jackets relied on their depth all season, the result of their NHL-high 419 man-games lost to injury. They dressed 33 skaters during the season, trailing only Boston (35), Montreal (34) and Pittsburgh (34). Stenlund played quite well, at times, mostly dispelling concerns about his skating ability. Matteau was signed out of the AHL at midseason and brought a burst of life to the Jackets’ bottom six. The tricky part with all of this, of course, is that the players who most desperately need a break are the same players the Blue Jackets can’t live without. It’s not the third defensive pair and the fourth forward line that need breathers, it’s the guys logging heavy minutes at the top.

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Also, these playoff series get serious quickly. The Blue Jackets trail the Lightning 2-1 in the series, but a loss in Monday’s Game 4 would put Columbus in an elimination game Wednesday. Tortorella hasn’t had the Blue Jackets practice since the series with Tampa Bay got started. It’s the best he can do, but even that rest may not be enough. He and the coaching staff may need to get creative — quickly.

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The Associated Press / Tampa Bay Lightning take 3-1 series lead on Columbus Blue Jackets By Associated Press – August 18, 2020

TORONTO – Andrei Vasilevskiy had 28 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Monday to take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series. Barclay Goodrow and Yanni Gourde each had a goal and an assist as the Lightning pushed the Blue Jackets to the verge of elimination after being swept by Columbus in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. Game 5 is Wednesday. “Every game has been a battle, and I don’t expect any different going forward,” said Lightning center Blake Coleman, who assisted on Goodrow’s score. “They’re not going to be a team that lays over for us. Being up 3-1 is great, but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t take care of business.” Cam Atkinson scored for Columbus, and Joonas Korpisalo had 20 saves. The Blue Jackets seemed to have recharged after running out of gas in the Game 3 loss. They got the first goal early in the first period, but it was waved off because Alexandre Texier was offside entering the zone. Tampa Bay Lightning center Yanni Gourde scores a goal against Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. Then the Lightning scored twice in the first five minutes of the second period. They opened the scoring 16 seconds into the second when Goodrow chopped at the puck in traffic in front of Korpisalo and popped it over his blocker. Gourde made it 2-0 by redirecting a long shot by Kevin Shattenkirk at the 4:09 mark. Less than two minutes later, Atkinson got credit for the Columbus goal when a long shot by Pierre-Luc Dubois pinballed between Atkinson and the goalie before going into the net. Vasilevskiy argued for goalie interference to no avail. “The real key is (the last two) games we were up by two, and let up, you know, a goal at pretty crucial times where they might gain momentum off of something,” said Lightning defenseman Kevin Shatternkirk, who had an assist on Gourde’s goal. “And I think we did a great job of resetting, you know, realizing that we have a two-goal lead for a reason, and when it goes down to one we’re still in control.” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said it was gratifying to see the Gourde-Goodrow-Coleman line finally rewarded for their hard work. “The one thing is, they set the tone for us,” Cooper said. “They started every game. You know they’re like gnats. I feel like they’re just always buzzing around and you try to knock them away and they just never leave. They put work ethic above everything else. They’re selfless players, and they don’t have an off switch.” Columbus took a penalty for too many men on the ice with 1:07 left in the game, which interrupted its late 6-on-5 push.

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“There’s no sense being frustrated,” Columbus coach John Tortorella said. “Just get ready for our next game. “I love our team,” he said. “I like the way they have handled themselves the whole time out here in the bubble.” Atkinson said the Blue Jackets played well enough to win. Korpisalo added that it was probably the team’s best game of the series so far. “I thought we did some, some pretty good things,” Atkinson said. “You can see the pucks bouncing like crazy on a lot of plays. Overall, I thought we played a pretty solid game. It’s just one of those things.” NOTES: Tampa Bay is 0-for-9 on power plays in the series while Columbus is 2-for-14. … Atkinson returned after being classified “unfit to play” in the past two games. Emil Bemstrom was a scratch. … F Kevin Stenlund made his playoff debut for the Blue Jackets and skated in the top power-play group.

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The Athletic / DGB weekend power rankings: Sorting through the early contenders and pretenders By Sean McIndoe – August 18, 2020

Yeah, we’re doing another postseason power ranking, even though this is a feature that was built for the regular season. Being a hockey writer when the playoffs are in August is like being a referee in overtime: The rules go out the window. The last time we tried this was two weeks ago when each team had all of one whole game of qualifying action to go on. Somewhat amazingly, those one-game-old rankings hold up kind of well – all five teams we had ranked at the bottom lost their qualifying round, all five teams at the top are still alive, and our decision to rank the Maple Leafs as being in more trouble than the Canucks turned out to be prescient. Is it… is it possible that I’m only good at this during the playoffs? That doesn’t sound likely. Quick, let’s do another set of rankings and put that thought to rest. It was an interesting weekend in the bubble, as we saw our first high-profile departure from a star who decided he’d had enough. Tuukka Rask’s exit came as a shock, especially with the announcement coming just hours before the Bruins took the ice for Game 3. He’d made some waves earlier in the week with his comments about a lack of playoff atmosphere, but not many of us saw this coming. Don Sweeney maybe did, at least based on his comments in the aftermath, and it should go without saying that Rask has the right to put his family first. The Rask story came a few days after we saw a very different kind of surprise exit, this one from Canadiens’ coach Claude Julien, who was hospitalized with chest pains and will miss at least the rest of this round. Both the Bruins and the Canadiens responded to adversity with impressive wins, but the long-term impact remains to be seen. Under normal circumstances, this is where I’d insert the standard boilerplate about how some things are more important than sports, and that health and family are always the priority. But it’s 2020, and I’m guessing you don’t need a reminder of that. The NHL has done an admirable job of putting this tournament together, maybe the best of all the major sports leagues. But this week was a reminder that it won’t be easy, and that despite having been at this for weeks, we’re somehow still only halfway through Round 1. Is that too early to be picking favorites? Of course it is. But it’s August and it’s the playoffs and we’re doing this anyway. Road to the Cup The five teams that look like they’re headed toward a summer November of socially distanced keg stands and fountain pool parties. One worry I had going into the first round was that we’d see a big disconnect between the teams that had just fought through a qualifying series and those that been playing in the round robin for seeding. Those latter games had featured a noticeable lack of intensity compared to the do-or-die variety, and I wondered if we’d get a week into this round and find all of the so-called favorites trailing because they just couldn’t keep up.

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Nope. Or at least, not really. A few of the favorites did get off to slow starts, most noticeably the Blues and Capitals. But even those series didn’t look like anyone was going at half-speed, so at least one pre- tournament worry seems to have been unfounded. 5. Philadelphia Flyers – Whatever happened in Sunday’s game, there was no question about what would stand as the highlight of the weekend: Hell yeah, Oskar Lindblom. The Flyers may have been inspired heading into Game 3. Or maybe they’re just the better team. That’s what the regular season records say, as well as the seeding. It’s not what most of the action in the first two games had suggested, as these two teams went back and forth. The Flyers needed Sunday’s win after Friday’s no-show, and they got it, but this series still feels like it has a few twists and turns left in it, and the Flyers had better find some offense. 4. Boston Bruins – So what do we do with the Bruins? Despite what many of their loudest fans seem to think, Rask is a very good goaltender with a history of postseason success. (He has a better career postseason save percentage than Henrik Lundqvist, Jonathan Quick, Patrick Roy or Dominik Hasek, so the narrative that he doesn’t come through in the clutch is a mystery.) They’re going to miss him. How much? That’s the critical question, and the answer is we’re not really sure. Jaroslav Halak is one of the stronger backups in the league, so the Bruins are in better shape than a lot of teams would be. But being a great backup isn’t quite the same as being a great starter, and as good as he is, Halak isn’t Rask. You could make the argument that Rask wasn’t Rask either, given where his head was at this month. Maybe under the circumstances, Halak will be an upgrade. Or maybe he’ll be close enough that it won’t really matter. But the Bruins are in tough against a really good Hurricanes team, and they’re still missing David Pastrnak. Can they overcome all of it to make it out of the round, and beyond? I’ve got them in the top five, so that tells you that I still believe. But it’s a tougher call than it would have been a week ago. 3. Tampa Bay Lightning – They’re in a battle. We knew they would be because battles are what the Blue Jackets do. If you’re going to beat Columbus, you’re going to have to work hard to earn it. So far, the Lightning have done that. And while they’re only halfway home in this series, it’s hard not to wonder about what kind of psychological boost they might get from beating the team that embarrassed them last year. One unknown: What does playing a five-OT game do to a team in the long-term? No team in the modern era has ever won a game like that and then gone on to win the next round, but that’s a sample size of, um, one. And as you may remember, it didn’t come after a five-month layoff. Let’s file this one under “to be determined.” 2. Colorado Avalanche – Full credit to Darcy Kuemper, who flat-out stole one on Saturday, stopping 49 shots in a 4-2 win. Can he do it three more times? Well, yeah. It’s possible. In today’s NHL, a red-hot goalie can trump just about anything. But if I’m an Avalanche fan, I’m not panicking. If a team with this much talent keeps pumping 50+ shots, they’re going to win a whole lot more than they lose. 1. Vegas Golden Knights – Much like the Avs, the Golden Knights are a powerhouse that’s been rolling along until they ran into a hot goalie in their last game. Should their fans be worried? Absolutely, it’s the playoffs, you’re supposed to feel worried the whole way through. But it should be a low-level worry,

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maybe accompanied by mild nausea and a headache, as opposed to full-on existential dread. That’s for when the goalie steals a second game. For now, the Knights are fine, and earn the top spot over Colorado thanks to already having that third win in the bank. Not ranked: New York Islanders – Here’s where doing a playoff power ranking gets tricky. If we’re doing this based on who’s going to make it to the next round, then the Islanders are obviously in a better situation than anyone. But we’re not just trying to pick a winner for this round – it’s about who can win here, plus three more rounds to come. To be clear, the Islanders can absolutely do that. The idea here isn’t that only five teams can win, and the Islanders check pretty much all the boxes you’d want in a team that’s capable of a run. They’ll have three more good teams to beat once they finish off the Caps, and we saw last year that a dominant first round doesn’t always translate into Round 2. They’ll probably be slight underdogs against whoever they run into next, for as long as this run lasts. But my guess is they’ll be fine with that, since they wear the underdog role pretty well. Why no, I will not be checking the comment section, thanks for asking. Other teams worth at least a mention: The Flames and Stars have a series on their hands after an entertaining back-and-forth game that Calgary was seconds away from banking. It’s been a surprisingly entertaining series, and it’s definitely got that we’re-going-seven vibe to it. The Flames are still in decent shape, especially if Ben Bishop can’t get back in the lineup. But if they can’t pull it off, Sunday’s loss will be a tough on to get over. And then there’s the Canucks, who were an overtime away from being another 3-0 team in this section. The Blues took care of that, but Vancouver is still in control. Nobody thought getting past the defending champs would be easy, but the Canucks have shown they can skate with them and may have the edge in goal now, so they’re well-positioned to pull this off. Monday’s game is big, though. The bottom five The five teams that we shouldn’t get too attached to, since they’re definitely losing in the first round. Probably. Most of them. Maybe. So yeah, we’re obviously not doing the “which team will pick first” thing in this section anymore because we already know the answer there: Whichever team’s ping pong ball gets “accidentally” dropped in what’s obviously an elaborate sleight-of-hand switcheroo. Instead, here are the five teams I’m pretty sure are going home this week. Remember to give me credit when all of them inevitably sweep the rest of their series. 5. Montreal Canadiens – I’ve been really impressed with their run so far, and they’re going to give the Flyers all they can handle. But Sunday night was a bad sign. It’s one thing to get shut down by a hot goalie, but that’s not really what happened. Instead, the Flyers put together a team effort. The good news from Game 3: At least the Canadiens managed to avoid hurting anyone feelings by being too good. 4. Columbus Blue Jackets – I just think the Lightning are too good, even as I’m hesitant to say that too loudly because it’s not hard to imagine the Blue Jackets stealing Game 4 and planting a few more seeds of doubt. Columbus had their back to the ropes against the Leafs a time or two and always counter- punched. But the Lightning aren’t the Leafs, and beating them three-out-of-four is going to be a real test. I’m not ruling it out, because Joonas Korpisalo is terrifying right now. But the flip side of that is that

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they’re getting all-world goaltending and still trail the series, so if he cools down even a little bit that might spell the end. 3. Arizona Coyotes – It feels weird to rank a team this low right after a huge win, especially since I’ve always have a bad habit of basing almost my entire opinion about any playoff series on what happened in the last game. And while they gave up 51 shots, they weren’t exactly blown out of the building on Saturday. But the talent gap here is just too wide, and I don’t love their odds at beating the Avs in three of the next four. 2. Washington Capitals – They’re not done. But they’re done. The Islanders are just too tough a matchup, and too well-coached by the one guy who knows how to beat the Caps better than anyone. Would there be a certain “It’s 2020 and nothing makes sense” vibe about watching the Capitals, of all teams, come all the way back from down 3-0? Sure. But it’s not happening. 1. Chicago Blackhawks – Full credit to Chicago for putting up a fight Sunday night, even if most of that fight involved asking Corey Crawford to steal one. That’s part of playoff hockey, and those wins count just as much as the team-wide efforts. But they’re not coming all the way back to beat the Golden Knights, so enjoy it while you can, Hawks fans. Not ranked: St. Louis Blues – Is this bad? It seems bad. Also bad: Having to bench your Cup-winning goalie after just two games of real playoff action. But it worked, as Jake Allen was just good enough Sunday night for the Blues to avoid a 3-0 hole. Without getting overly dramatic, Brayden Schenn’s overtime winner might end up saving their season. The Canucks are good, and St. Louis wasn’t coming back from down 3-0. But 2-1? It’s doable. No time to dwell on it though, since these two teams are right back at it Monday. And finally, I still feel OK about the Hurricanes, at least in this series against a Bruins team missing some key guys. But the apparent long-term loss of Andrei Svechnikov is devastating to their hopes at going all the way. We don’t know his status yet, at least not officially, so you optimists can hold out hope that this is going to be one of those miracle recoveries we tend to see in the playoffs. But it sure didn’t look good, and if he is done for the year, it’s hard to see Carolina having the firepower to win three more rounds without him.

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Sportsnet.ca / One big off-season question facing each NHL team eliminated in qualifying By Rory Boylen – August 18, 2020

While 16 teams remain in the running for the Stanley Cup, those eliminated in the best-of-five qualifiers are now considering changes and so we can start talking about what comes next for each of them. Whether it’s a team that would have been on the outside of the playoffs anyway in March (see the New York Rangers, who now have the first-overall pick) or a Cup hopeful experiencing crushing disappointment (ahem, Toronto Maple Leafs), each of them has at least one big question to face in the off-season. From our most recent NHL newsletter, here is the big question facing each team eliminated in qualifying. Pittsburgh Penguins: What, exactly, needs to change? In his season-ending press conference, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford reaffirmed a commitment to the current core, meaning the yearly tradition of Evgeni Malkin trade rumours should end there. But Rutherford also mentioned that the way the Penguins went out, with just one win against Montreal and zero pushback in the deciding game, was “very disappointing and changes need to be made.” Sidney Crosby is 33 now and Malkin 34: How much longer will the window stay open? Toronto Maple Leafs: What kind of defenceman will they add? Like Rutherford, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas also noted plans to move ahead without altering his four star forwards, despite struggling to score against Columbus and with a clear need for improved defensive play. In an off-season where the cap stays flat and free agency will be difficult to wade into, it would seem trade is the only way for Toronto to really get what it needs, short of banking on Rasmus Sandin or Timothy Liljegren taking a big step up. So does that mean Kasperi Kapanen or Alexander Kerfoot could be available? What sort of player would either return? Florida Panthers: Who will the new GM be and what will he do? If you were to rank the most disappointing seasons, the Panthers would have to be way up there as they were clearly outmatched by the Islanders in qualifying. Now, GM Dale Tallon is out and a search is on the way for his replacement, who will have a lot to sort out. Florida’s top two goal scorers, Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman, are UFAs, and there’s some buzz the team may want to shed salary. Will they just be replaced by rookies? The trouble, too, is that team defence was a sore spot and contributed to Sergei Bobrovsky’s horrendous showing. There’s a lot to fix here. New York Rangers: What happens to Henrik Lundqvist? “I had a good chat with him when we got off the plane out of Toronto,” Rangers president John Davidson said. “We will talk and see where we go. We made it clear that we aren’t carrying three goalies next year. We gotta figure out what we are going to do.” Lundqvist has one year remaining on his contract, but two younger goalies are outperforming him and are better long-term fits for the emerging team. A trade, a buyout, or, heck, a return are all possibilities, but it does seem most likely that Lundqvist’s time with the Rangers is over. But just how will this relationship end?

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Winnipeg Jets: Do they look for more size again? It’s hard to get too down on the way Winnipeg’s season ended. They fought all year despite losing some key players from the roster, and in the playoffs injuries to Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine proved too much. Prior to this year the Jets could thrive in any kind of style: fast and skilled, or slow and big. However, the losses of Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, Dustin Byfuglien and Ben Chiarot from last year’s blue line left them a smaller team that just couldn’t play the same as before. So, will GM Kevin Cheveldayoff try to restore some of that this off-season? Minnesota Wild: Who will be their starting goalie next season? At GM Bill Guerin’s end-of-season conference, he touched on a lot of the teams’ problems, including a need for a No. 1 centre and more skill up front. While those are fine upgrades to seek out (and the Wild do have defencemen other teams would want to trade for), most teams are looking for those elements and they’re hard to acquire outside of the draft. The Wild also need goalies, and there could be a few options there in the off-season. “I was disappointed in the goaltending this year,” Guerin said. “Al (Stalock) had a tremendous year and Devan (Dubnyk) had an off-year, and it needs to be better. That’s just the way it is. And if I told you anything different I’d be lying to you. It was not a strong point for us.” Could it be that 23-year-old Kaapo Kahkonen, the AHL’s goalie of the year, simply slides in as the No. 1, or will the Wild explore a free agent market that includes a couple of starters and tandem options? Edmonton Oilers: How do they find improved depth? There are a lot of things being criticized in Edmonton after the team was knocked out by the 12th seed in the West. From Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl needing to be better defensively to inconsistent goaltending and more, the team just didn’t look “there” yet. To me, quality depth was the biggest concern. Sure, McDavid and Draisaitl could buy in more on defence, but there was so little production and impact outside of those top two lines that it’s an obvious need. A veteran presence would be useful there along with a little scoring upside. This isn’t too surprising and GM Ken Holland will take time to sculpt this team, but expectations are going to heighten and the worst thing would be for Edmonton to take a step back next regular season. Nashville Predators: How will they regain momentum? The Preds are getting dangerously close to becoming another Minnesota Wild. The Wild, on paper, look like a pretty good team — lots of recognizable names, some players with upside, and strong defence. But the Wild have been spinning their tires with just two series wins in eight years. They’re good enough to get in, but not close to breaking through. Now, the Predators reached the Stanley Cup Final just three years ago, but this is not the same team. They backed into the playoffs last year and were knocked out in Round 1. This year they couldn’t get past Arizona. The Predators are good enough to get into the playoffs, but not to have an impact anymore despite a roster that looks like it should never be an easy out. How can GM David Poile reinvigorate the core and at least make the Preds a tough out once again?

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Sportsnet.ca / NHL's top 20 UFAs of 2020: Latest rumours, reports By Emily Sadler – August 18, 2020

Last time we checked in with this year’s most coveted pending unrestricted free agents, we had yet to drop the puck on the NHL’s return to play and still didn’t quite have a sense of the salary cap for 2020- 21. Now we’re well into Round 1, with half the league’s clubs on the hunt for the Stanley Cup and the other now studying how to navigate what will be a flat salary cap. The $81.5 million cap for next year (and most likely the year after, too) will make this year’s off-season a tough one for many teams and will change the free agent market — particularly for the bigger-name players at and near the top of this list, with teams perhaps less likely to make the kinds of big-money offers we’re used to seeing. Here’s a look at the top UFAs-to-be right now: 1. Alex Pietrangelo, D, St. Louis Blues Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $6.5 million There haven’t been many talks between the two sides, but it certainly sounds like Blues GM Doug Armstrong and captain Alex Pietrangelo are on the same page as far as their desire to sign on the dotted line in St. Louis: Finish the season, then we’ll talk. “The goal is to get something done. That’s been the goal since the beginning. We’ll see where things go,” Pietrangelo said last month, via NHL.com. “[The] focus right now is to get through this thing healthy and playing. We’ll see where things end up.” Early-season reports projected the AAV on Pietrangelo’s next deal to come in at around $8 million per year – a bargain when you look at his performance over the course of this season. One year after leading St. Louis to the Stanley Cup, he scored a career-high 16 goals and was just two points shy of his highest total ever before the season was put on hold with 12 more games to go. Now that we know we’ve got a flat cap coming for 2020-21, Armstrong has some tough decisions ahead if he’s to lock up his captain – as would opposing GMs looking to create some cap space to lure in and sign the big-ticket d-man. 2. Taylor Hall, LW, Arizona Coyotes Age: 28 2019-20 cap hit: $6 million In 30 games with the Devils plus 35 with the Coyotes upon being dealt to the desert, Hall tallied a combined 16 goals and 36 assists for 52 points through 65 regular season games in 2019-20 – a far cry from his 39-goal, 93-point Hart-winning campaign with New Jersey in 2017-18, but a good sign that he’s getting back on track after two years of injuries and trade rumours. Through seven post-season games with Arizona, the Calgary native has a pair of goals and six points, matching his previous playoff totals from 2017-18 in a five-game run with New Jersey. 3. Braden Holtby, G, Washington Capitals Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $6.1 million

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An up-and-down season through 48 starts saw his stats dip lower than we’re used to seeing from the starter: 3.11 goals against, with a .897 save percentage – both career lows by a pretty wide margin. While his numbers this summer haven’t been so hot either, those don’t exactly reflect what has actually been a strong overall performance behind a team that hasn’t played up to expectations. The emergence of rookie Ilya Samsonov and his impressive numbers through 26 regular season appearances (2.55 GAA, .913 SV%) makes things a little unclear going forward, but head coach Todd Reirden made it clear back in June that the crease still belongs to Holtby. Samsonov’s absence this post- season – he was injured off-ice prior to training camps – removed all questions around who would start this summer. When it comes to beyond this summer’s chase for the Stanley Cup, Holtby said in July he wasn’t thinking about that yet, but indicated he was hopeful that he’d be staying put in Washington. “My focus right now is to win a championship, and moving forward is to find the next best place to win a championship with,” Holtby said, via NHL.com. “Hopefully it’s here, hopefully everything works out, but you never know.” Regardless of the downward trend in his stats, Holtby is still likely to land the biggest contract of the off- season among this year’s strong crop of pending UFA goaltenders. 4. Torey Krug, D, Boston Bruins Age: 28 2019-20 cap hit: $5.25 million He’s one of the league’s best offensive defencemen with plenty of sandpaper in his game. In other words, should Krug hit the open market, there would be a mile-long lineup of GMs vying for his services. Krug has clearly expressed a desire to stay in Boston, and Bruins GM Don Sweeney told reporters during the hiatus earlier this month he’s hopeful the two sides can find common ground on a new deal. Sweeney re-signed would-be restricted free agent Anders Bjork to a team-friendly, three-year extension in late July. The move gives Sweeney one less variable when looking at contract talks with Krug and RFA Jake DeBrusk. 5. Tyson Barrie, D, Toronto Maple Leafs Age: 29 2019-20 cap hit: $5.5 million (this AAV is split between Colorado and Toronto) Barrie’s time in Toronto didn’t go how he or the Maple Leafs expected, making a clean split in free agency a certainty for the two sides. “I wish I would’ve left a little more of a stamp on the series,” said Barrie, who didn’t register on the scoresheet through all five games of the qualifying round against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Barrie struggled for most of the year in Toronto, failing the find the kind of chemistry with his new teammates that made him a must-watch rearguard in Colorado. Barrie said it “would be tough” to see his old Avalanche teammates hoist the Cup this year, but that he’ll be rooting for them and “hoping those guys get it done.” Asked about where he might land and what kind of contract he’s looking for going forward, Barrie said, “at this point I have no idea what the future holds.”

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It’s safe to say the rearguard will be prioritizing chemistry and opportunity in an effort to regain his game with another squad. 6. Robin Lehner, G, Vegas Golden Knights Age: 28 2019-20 cap hit: $5 million Last year’s Masterton Trophy winner thrived as part of an excellent tandem with the New York Islanders and then completely stole the show in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It looks like he’s on pace for more playoff success one year later – this time, as one half of the NHL’s best goalie duo alongside Marc- Andre Fleury in Vegas. What looked strictly like a rental deal a few months ago now shows a possibility of being a long-term landing spot for Lehner as he thrives with the Golden Knights. Regardless of where he lands, he should garner a more permanent landing spot after back-to-back one-year signings that saw in land in three cities within two years. 7. Jacob Markstrom, G, Vancouver Canucks Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $3.67 million Markstrom put up MVP-worthy numbers in Vancouver behind a surprising Canucks club, and has been a tough solve in the post-season, too, as the Canucks emerged victorious out of the qualifying round and continue to make waves in Round 1. The 30-year-old has been the perfect netminder to complement his club’s young core, which looks capable of doing some pretty special things this summer and in the seasons to come. “In my mind, I want to stay in Vancouver. That’s my goal,” he said earlier this spring from Sweden, via Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. “I’m still a Vancouver Canuck and I’m super proud of being it. I have no plans of leaving.” 8. Mike Hoffman, RW/LW, Florida Panthers Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $5.1875 million Florida’s got a lot of question marks right now. The team parted ways with general manager Dale Tallon following their qualifying round loss to the Islanders earlier this month, and it’s safe to say plenty more changes will be on the way once a new GM takes over and puts his or her own stamp on the club. Hoffman looked like a sure rental candidate at the deadline but ultimately wasn’t moved. His strong performance through four games against the Islanders – three goals and five points – should make him a popular player among teams looking for another scorer to contend. 9. Evgenii Dadonov, RW, Florida Panthers Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $4 million Another question mark for Florida. Dadonov quietly put up back-to-back 28-goal campaigns down in Florida, tallying 65 and 70 points in his past two seasons, and a scoring spree in January had him just three goals shy of that total through 69

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games this season. A quiet post-season didn’t do his stock any favours, but he’s one of the more low-key intriguing names to watch as one of the league’s most underrated sharp shooters. 10. Tyler Toffoli, RW/LW, Vancouver Canucks Age: 27 2019-20 cap hit: $4.6 million After a down year in 2018-19 with 13 goals and 34 points on a floundering Kings squad, Toffoli got off to a strong start in Vancouver upon being traded in February. He posted six goals and 10 points in 10 games with the Canucks prior to the season being put on hold, but has been sidelined for most of the post-season so far. Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre wrote in a June edition of his Canucks Mailbag that Toffoli is one of GM Jim Benning’s top UFA priorities, along with Markstrom. From MacIntyre: In those halcyon days when the salary cap was projected to be $84-88 million next season, I think the 28-year-old Toffoli was positioned to command something in the range of five years at close to $5 million. Now, who knows? He is a great fit with the Canucks and, I believe, would like to stay. But there’s no established relationship there with the team, which may mean he is less likely to do the kind of UFA bridge deal that Chris Tanev alluded to as a possibility. – Canucks Mailbag, June 14 11. Mikael Granlund, C/RW, Nashville Predators Age: 27 2019-20 cap hit: $5.75 million Granlund was a deadline acquisition for the Predators in 2018-19, but never really gelled in his new surroundings. With GM David Poile promising changes ahead, there’s really no question that Granlund will be wearing a different sweater come 2020-21. With a flat cap and a down year on the stat sheet, Granlund could be a strong candidate for a short-term deal to get him back to his playmaking ways. 12. T.J. Brodie, D, Calgary Flames Age: 29 2019-20 cap hit: $4.65 million Flames GM Brad Treliving said in the spring he wanted to bring both Brodie and fellow rearguard Travis Hamonic back into the fold. But with the flat cap, will he be able to? Brodie’s name has been in trade rumours before, but injuries to fellow blue liners Hamonic and Mark Giordano this past season made him in pretty indispensable as far as any possible deadline deals went. As the more offensively gifted of the Flames’ two pending UFA d-men, he could be the more likely — but less affordable — signee in Calgary. 13. Travis Hamonic, D, Calgary Flames Age: 29 2019-20 cap hit: $3.857 million

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Hamonic, who made the decision to opt out of the NHL’s restart this summer to be with his family, has been a steady presence in Calgary and would no doubt be a smart signing for Treliving to make. The GM has a little more cap flexibility than some of his NHL peers, but how much will he devote to his blue line? 14. Sami Vatanen, D, Carolina Hurricanes Age: 28 2019-20 cap hit: $4.875 million Vatanen had to wait a while to suit up for a game with the Hurricanes, the team that acquired him from the Devils at the deadline, due to the lower-body injury that had him sidelined at the time of the league hiatus. He’s starting to flex his offensive upside, tallying three helpers through five games this post- season, and looks increasingly comfortable among the Hurricanes’ elite group of rearguards. Injuries have prevented the rearguard from ever being able to play a full season, which will factor into his next deal. 15. Anton Khudobin, G, Dallas Stars Age: 34 2019-20 cap hit: $2.5 million Every post-season, we re-learn the importance of having not just one solid goaltender but two. The rise of the goalie tandem makes Khudobin a name to watch going forward. The veteran netminder has started five of the Stars’ seven games this summer, and three of their Round 1 matchups against the Calgary Flames. While he’s not stealing games, he’s certainly came up clutch in instances when Bishop was deemed unfit – and is now getting starts despite Bishop being available. 16. Corey Crawford, G, Chicago Blackhawks Age: 35 2019-20 cap hit: $6 million His $6-million seasons are over, but his career isn’t. We haven’t had many opportunities to see Playoff Crawford of late, but we’re getting pretty good show this summer. The veteran netminder backstopped the Blackhawks to an upset victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the qualifiers and kept the Blackhawks alive in Game 4 of Round 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights. Like Khudobin, he could be an excellent 1B for a contender going forward should he part ways with the Blackhawks. 17. Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, Washington Capitals Age: 36 2019-20 cap hit: $700,000 Montreal’s Kovalchuk experiment got off to a great start — the veteran proved he’s still got a little magic left in him, and his success looked even better with a $700,000 price tag attached — and saw the club flip him to the contending Capitals for a profit at the deadline. It feels likely this wasn’t the last we’ve seen of Kovalchuk in le bleu, blanc et rouge, as he could be a strong candidate to return to Montreal as a free agent. 18. Erik Haula, LW, Florida Panthers Age: 28 2019-20 cap hit: $2.75 million

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Haula was part of a head-scratching deal made between the Hurricanes and Panthers at the deadline, which saw Florida deal away Vincent Trocheck for a package that included Haula. A string of injuries have hindered Haula’s ability to match the success he had with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18. There’s no doubt he’s been a much-loved and valuable member of each team he’s played on, but durability will factor in his next deal. 19. Wayne Simmonds, RW, Buffalo Sabres Age: 31 2019-20 cap hit: $5 million Simmonds has struggled to find his stride since landing in Nashville at the 2018-19 deadline. Since then, he’s scored just nine goals and 28 points in 85 games split between the Predators, Devils and Sabres. He’s just three seasons removed from back-to-back 30-plus goal campaigns and should be a top candidate for a short-term deal on a team that can help revive his career. 20. Dustin Byfuglien, D, Winnipeg Jets (contract mutually terminated) Age: 35 2019-20 cap hit: $7.6 million Byfuglien missed the entire 2019-20 season, undergoing ankle surgery and ultimately taking time to ponder his future in the game. He and the Jets officially agreed to terminate his contract in April, thus making him a free agent. It’s unclear whether he wants to keep playing at all, but should he wish to continue his career with another team, there would no doubt be plenty of suitors for the big, versatile veteran d-man. Other notable pending UFAs to keep an eye on: Joe Thornton (SJ), Alex Galchenyuk (MIN), Kevin Shattenkirk (TB), Thomas Greiss (NYI) Cody Eakin (VGK), Chris Tanev (VAN), Cody Ceci (TOR), Justin Schultz (PIT), Michael Frolik (CGY), Vladislav Namestnikov (OTT), Marco Scandella (BUF), Erik Gustafsson (CHI), Pat Maroon (TB), Zach Bogosian (BUF), Kyle Clifford (TOR), Radko Gudas (WSH) Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 08.18.2020

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TSN.CA / Struggling power plays plaguing the NHL postseason By Travis Yost – August 18, 2020

If you have watched any of the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames series, you’ve seen a streaking Tobias Rieder making his presence felt on the penalty kill. The speedy Calgary winger has tortured the Dallas power play all series long, with his three shorthanded goals already tying a league record. In many ways, this special teams dynamic in the Stars-Flames series is a microcosm of what we have seen so far in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In a little less than 1,000 power-play minutes since the return-to-play format launched, teams are scoring just over six goals per 60 minutes of play on the power play. That’s a 16 per cent decrease in production, and it has enveloped the majority of the league. That reversal is noteworthy because of what we saw during the regular season. Part of the league’s recent increase in scoring has been driven by an increase in power-play scoring, particularly in the past couple of seasons: We know why power plays have trended better over time – teams have become smarter about how they allocate resources, like regularly deploying a four-forward lineup over the traditional three- forward, two-defencemen setup. We also know teams are more privy to effective power play principles, such as gaining the offensive zone with control and more recently, trying to create passing lanes to dangerous areas from behind-the- net play. Add that to a surge in individual shooting talent, and you have a recipe for an increase in scoring. So what gives with this postseason? Let’s look at the same exact graph but trended over postseason data. The data may be a bit sample-limited for the 2019-20 season, but note how expected goals have dropped collinearly with real goal scoring: Power-play goal scoring and expected scoring have returned to what we saw in the earlier parts of this decade before scoring spiked league-wide. Although the trend may seem flat, we know it shouldn’t be – regular-season scoring at both even strength and on the power play has spiked considerably in the past couple of seasons. Of the 24 teams that entered the playoffs, only four – Nashville, Calgary, Vancouver and Florida – have materially improved on their regular-season power play production. The rest of the league is either flat or considerably down. Perhaps the most notable example concerns the Philadelphia Flyers, who have managed to score just one power-play goal – a Jakub Voracek goal in the opener against Montreal – this entire postseason: Absent randomness being a contributing factor (and to some degree it surely is), what explains what is going on this postseason? This is where video analysis really comes into play. To my eye, especially in the group of 16 play, offensive zone puck movement seems much less efficient. We are seeing more of skaters individually carrying the puck around the zone. As a result, sequential passing to open up shooting lanes and spur goaltender movement has been hard to find. Today’s NHL goaltenders are simply too large and too athletic to push out of position merely off of stickhandling, and shots from the point with limited traffic in front are turned aside with ease. (When I

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think of high-end offensive zone puck movement, I often recall this Ilya Kovalchuk goal during New Jersey’s 2011-12 Stanley Cup bid.) You also have to wonder if rust and conditioning are factors merely because of the five-month layoff. It will be interesting to see if this continues beyond the first round, especially with some of the league’s most prolific power plays from the regular season still in contention. Vancouver and Calgary have hit the ground running. The rest of the league? Not so much.

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