Brendan Gallagher Suffers Broken Jaw
After taking a hard cross-check from Matt Niskanen, Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher has suffered a broken jaw according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Niskanen is having a hearing with the Department of Player Safety for the incident, but no suspension has been given out just yet. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic got word right from the Canadiens GM, as Marc Bergevin confirmed “Gally has a broken jaw.”
There are few players in the NHL that can get under an opponent’s skin like Gallagher, but the 28-year-old isn’t just a pest. He’s also one of the most effective offensive pieces the Canadiens have, as he’s shown this postseason with a league-leading 37 shots on net through nine games. In fact, Gallagher scored a go-ahead goal last night against the Flyers, batting a puck out of the air on the powerplay.
Unfortunately, Lavoie reports that Gallagher will require surgery and is out for the rest of the series against the Flyers. That kind of diagnosis will be taken into account for Niskanen’s suspension, which could potentially take him out for the Flyers as well.
The teams will match-up again tomorrow night for game six, where pleasantries will surely be exchanged early.
Snapshots: Hurricanes, Dvorak, Vermont
With the Carolina Hurricanes exiting the postseason this afternoon following a Game Five loss to the Boston Bruins, the conditions surrounding their acquisition of defenseman Sami Vatanen have been finalized. Initially, the ‘Canes had traded for Vatanen from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Janne Kuokkanen, Fredrik Claesson, and a conditional draft pick with the following conditions: the Devils would get a 2020 fourth-round pick if Vatanen appeared in at least five regular season games and a 2020 third round pick if Vatanen played in 12 regular season games or 70% of the team’s playoff games; if Vatanen did not appear in at least five regular season games for Carolina, then the Devils would get no pick at all. However, these conditions had to be altered due to Vatanen being unable to suit up for a regular season game with Carolina prior to the league’s pause. These new conditions locked in a fourth-round return for New Jersey as long as Vatanen played in at least two games of the Hurricanes’ qualifying round series with the New York Rangers, which he did. In order for the pick to bump up to a 2020 third-rounder, Vatanen had to play in 70% of the Hurricanes’ remaining playoff games. Four of five games against the Bruins met that benchmark, meaning Carolina will send their own 2020 third-round pick to the Devils, as outlined by CapFriendly. While Vatanen’s three points in a three-game sweep of the Rangers was a nice ‘Canes debut for the defender, his zero points and -3 rating against the Bruins makes the increased cost of his acquisition somewhat of a bitter pill.
- As always, news of injuries emerges as series are completed. A quick note following tonight’s dismissal of the Arizona Coyotes comes directly from head coach Rick Tocchet. ‘Yotes beat writer Craig Morgan relays that center Christian Dvorak played the entirety of the team’s first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche and the latter half of their qualifying round series versus the Nashville Predators with a separated shoulder. Dvorak was a non-factor in the first round, being held off the score sheet entirely and limited to 14 minutes of ice time or less in four of five games. This injury undoubtedly contributed to Dvorak’s struggles against the Avalanche, but his efforts would not have made much of a difference in somewhat of a one-sided series.
- Is the impact of Mike Babcock joining the staff at the University of Vermont already showing? Jeff Cox of The New England Hockey Journal reports that Jordan Kaplan, one of the top scorers at Sacred Heart this past season, will transfer to Vermont. Kaplan’s 24 points this year would have been considerably better than anyone on the Catamounts and will be a major boost to a struggling program. Additionally, the program announced their recruiting class and it includes another transfer in Miami’s Noah Jordan as well as 2020 NHL Draft prospect Raimonds Vitolins, a Latvian standout who could hear his name called in November. If he is drafted, Vitolins would be just the second player on the current Catamounts roster to have been drafted, joining Minnesota Wild pick Bryce Misley, who is entering his senior season with little to show for the past three years.
Snapshots: Predators, Lauko, Lipon
The Nashville Predators have made a couple of changes to their coaching staff for the 2020-21 season, announcing today that they will not renew the contract of assistant Dan Muse. Rob Scuderi, who had been serving as an assistant on an interim basis, will be returning to his role as defense development coach.
Muse had been with the Predators for three seasons following a stint as the head coach of the Chicago Steel (USHL). Nashville will begin the search for new assistants immediately, giving John Hynes a chance to bring in his own team as he prepares for his first full season behind the Predators bench.
- Jakob Lauko will start the 2020-21 season with HC Karlovy Vary of the Czech league but is expected back with the Boston Bruins when NHL training camp opens. The 20-year-old forward spent this season with the Providence Bruins, scoring just nine points in 22 games. The limited action was due to a knee injury Lauko suffered at the very start of the World Junior tournament, meaning any games he can play in the Czech Republic will be beneficial to his development.
- J.C. Lipon‘s contract with the Winnipeg Jets is up and the 27-year-old forward will take his talents to the KHL. Dinamo Riga has signed Lipon to a contract for the 2020-21 season after he failed to make it to the NHL once again this year. A third-round pick back in 2013, Lipon made his NHL debut in the 2015-16 season but hasn’t been back to the NHL since. Instead, he played 61 games for the Manitoba Moose this year, scoring 31 points.
Snapshots: Lindblom, Pastrnak, Myers, Merzlikins, Predators
There was quite the reaction when the Philadelphia Flyers opted to bring forward Oskar Lindblom with them into the bubble. The Flyers’ forward was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma on Dec. 13, but has been treated and is training with the team. Despite it being unlikely that Lindblom was going to take the ice during the playoffs, that could conceivably change, according to Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault. Lindblom skated with the team Sunday and he intends to return for the playoffs, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
Vigneault was unclear when Lindblom might return. “A couple of practices? A couple of weeks?”
Lindblom hasn’t played in a game since Dec. 7, but the 24-year-old was looking to have a career-best season with 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games. Of course, getting back into playoff-level shape could take him some time. The Flyers are currently tied at 1-1 with the Montreal Canadiens in the first-round of the playoffs, so it makes sense that the Flyers will need to at least advance one round if they hope to get Lindblom back into their lineup.
- The Boston Bruins got some good news at an optional skate Sunday when winger David Pastrnak was on the ice with his team. The 24-year-old has only appeared in four playoff games thus far with as he has been termed “unfit to play.” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said there is a chance that Pastrnak could play in Game 4 on Monday. “I’d say 50/50 I guess at best right now. Of course that could change over 24 hours,” said Cassidy (via Boston Globe’s Matt Porter).
- TSN’s Matthew Sekeres reports that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers will miss Game 3 on Sunday with a shoulder injury, not a concussion like many thought. Whether he can return for Game 4, which immediately on Monday again, is unknown. Myers took an awkward hit from St. Louis’ Brayden Schenn in Game 2. There is talk that Jordie Benn could step in for Myers in the lineup, but since he missed some time for the birth of his child, he may not be ready to play. Other candidates are Olli Juolevi or Jack Rathbone.
- The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who was “unfit to play” ever since the Game 4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, tweaked a groin muscle during the game, the same game in which he allowed three Maple Leafs’ goals in less than four minutes (plus the OT goal). Merzlikins will be out of the lineup indefinitely.
- NHL.com’s Brooks Bratten reports that Nashville Predators general manager David Poile said he isn’t sure what will happen with their top two unrestricted free-agent forwards in Craig Smith and Mikael Granlund. The GM said he expects to communicate with their respective agents in the next couple of weeks to discuss potential contracts. However, with their cap situation looking dire next season, it’s unlikely the team will bring back both UFAs. Smith finished with 18 goals and 31 points, while Granlund finished with 17 goals and 30 points.
Carolina Hurricanes Andrei Svechnikov Could Miss Rest Of Playoffs
The Carolina Hurricanes have watched as 20-year-old winger Andrei Svechnikov has quickly developed into a star player for the team. Then they watched him get tangled up with Boston’s Zdeno Chara in Game 3 of the first-round of the playoffs and go down with an apparent leg injury. It didn’t look good.
However, two days later and another MRI still to come, Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour said (via News & Observer’s Chip Alexander) he “highly doubts” that Svechnikov will return for the rest of the playoffs, which would be a big blow to the team.
Svechnikov has been one of the key leaders on the ice for the Hurricanes, having scored four goals and seven points in six games so far. However, he fell backwards late in Game 3, with his right leg bending awkwardly on the way down while battling in front of the net with Chara. The loss could cripple the team’s offense as he was a major fixture on the team’s top line. He posted a solid 20-goal, 37-point season as a rookie last year, but really took his game up a notch with a 24-goal, 61-point season this past year and was looking even better in the playoffs.
More details of the injury and how long the young winger will be out will likely come in the next few days.
Austin Czarnik Leaves Bubble
The Calgary Flames will be without Austin Czarnik for the next while. The forward has left the bubble in Edmonton to attend to a family matter. No timeline for his return has been issued, but he will be forced to quarantine for four days after coming back, providing four consecutive negative COVID-19 tests in the process.
Czarnik, 27, hasn’t played a game for the Flames yet this postseason and suited up just eight times in the regular season. His year was marred by injury and he spent a good chunk of the season in the minor leagues, scoring 33 points in 32 games for the Stockton Heat.
The Flames are tied with the Dallas Stars in their first-round playoff series after losing 5-4 last night.
Injury Notes: Pastrnak, Backstrom, Vehvilainen
The Boston Bruins dropped a game time bomb on Thursday night, announcing that star forward David Pastrnak had been deemed “unfit to participate” and would miss Game Two. There is no official word on Pastrnak’s condition and whether he will miss any future games with this current ailment. It could be that the Rocket Richard winner simply could not bounce back from a minor injury sustained on Wednesday in just over 24 hours’ time. Pastrnak did appear to be in discomfort following his assist on the game-winning goal in double overtime of Game Two. However, others have noted that Pastrnak also missed practice on Monday and could be nursing a lingering issue. The Bruins certainly do not want their elite scorer to be out of the lineup for too long, so any further clarification on Pastrnak’s injury will be key to Boston’s Stanley Cup hopes this postseason. In the meantime, Anders Bjork has replaced Pastrnak on the team’s top line while Karson Kuhlman has been inserted into the lineup.
- The Washington Capitals will also be missing one of their stars for Game Two on Friday. First line center Nicklas Backstrom has entered the league’s concussion protocol, reportscom’s Tom Gulitti, and will not be able to return to the lineup just yet. Backstrom was the recipient of high hit from the New York Islanders’ Anders Lee, which cost him two penalty minutes, early in the first period of the Capitals’ Game One loss on Tuesday. Backstrom played through the period but did not return after the break. There is no word on how long Backstrom may be out of the lineup. While Backstrom is certainly a major loss, his absence fortunately lines up with a return for fellow center Lars Eller, who had left the Toronto bubble due to the birth of his son and missed Game One.
- Veini Vehvilainen has arrived in Toronto to join the Columbus Blue Jackets as their No. 3 goalie, with Elvis Merzlikins still nursing an injury. The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger notes that Vehvilainen has already officially joined the roster after landing Wednesday, while adding that he will not count against the 31-man maximum bubble roster limit as goalie injuries allow for an exception to be made. In the unlikely event that Vehvilainen has to make an appearance for Columbus, it would be his NHL debut. The well-regarded Finnish product finally made the jump to North America this season, but played exclusively in the AHL.
Morning Notes: Trades, Little, Muzzin
As we start the first round of the playoffs, the offseason has started for nearly half the league. We’ve seen free agents start to take their talents overseas, prospects loaned to European leagues to get their development back on track and the draft lottery determining the order of the top picks this fall. There could be even more moves coming down the pipe, as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has confirmed with the league that the 15 eliminated teams are now eligible to make trades.
LeBrun wonders if they will wait for a full 31-team market before pulling the trigger, but there is a difference in how teams can operate during these playoffs. The salary cap, which is usually not set for the following season until after the playoffs end, is fixed and known for 2020-21. That means if teams want to get a headstart on their financials, they could potentially start to pull off some trades and reshape their lineup before the Stanley Cup is handed out.
- Bryan Little ended up playing just seven games for the Winnipeg Jets this season. After playing in all 82 for each of the last two seasons, Little took a slapshot from Nikolaj Ehlers directly to the head just a few weeks into 2019-20. He suffered a brain injury that kept him out for the rest of the season and even kept him from performing basic physical activity. Little spoke with reporters including Murat Ates of The Athletic today, explaining that for six weeks after the injury he wasn’t even allowed to pick his young daughter up. Little did return to practice at one point before being shut down again, and now just hopes that he’ll be able to play hockey again one day. He’s “not shutting the door” but also needs to be told there’s no risk before returning. Little signed a six-year extension in 2017, which has four years remaining at a $5.29MM cap hit.
- Jake Muzzin, another player who suffered a scary injury, is feeling much better and is expected to make a full recovery. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman was stretchered off the ice last week after an awkward fall and lost feeling in his extremities. After being taken to the hospital he was discharged later that night but did not play again for Toronto. Muzzin was part of the Maple Leafs’ media availability today, a good sign he’s on the road back.
Mark Scheifele Will Not Require Surgery
When Matthew Tkachuk collided with Mark Scheifele in the first game of the qualification round, and the big Winnipeg Jets center collapsed to the ice clutching his leg and wailing in pain, everyone watching assumed the worst. It was obvious that Scheifele would have to leave the game as he was helped off the ice by a trainer and Nathan Beaulieu, but the anxious moments that followed surely had more disastrous scenarios playing out in many minds. Would he require major surgery, just a few months before the 2020-21 season was set to begin?
As it turns out, those same thoughts were racing through Scheifele’s mind. He spoke with reporters including Murat Ates of The Athletic and admitted he initially thought he tore his Achilles tendon. That would have meant surgery and a six-month recovery, taking him out of the first portion of the 2020-21—one which will have a condensed schedule. As it turns out, Scheifele was “very, very lucky” and will not require surgery at all. In fact, he told Ates that he’s going to be “back to 100% in the near future.”
While that news may fall on some deaf ears among Jets fans who just watched their team get eliminated before the real playoffs even begin, it’s extremely important for the future. As head coach Paul Maurice hinted at in his post-game tirade about what he called a “filthy, disgusting hit”, an Achilles injury like that doesn’t only come with a long recovery time, it also could potentially jeopardize a career. All hockey fans should be happy that isn’t the case for Scheifele, who has turned into one of the games preeminent two-way centers.
Selected seventh overall in 2011, the 27-year old has broken the point-per-game mark in each of his last four seasons, including 73 in 71 games this year. His postseason stats are just as impressive, making it all the more frustrating for the Jets that he received fewer than three minutes of ice time before being forced from the five-game series. Scheifele will be back next year and so will the Jets, thankful that he isn’t completing a grueling rehab at some point in February.
Injury Notes: Pacioretty, Merzlikins, Ferland, Carlson
The Vegas Golden Knights will have a familiar face in the lineup tomorrow night when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks, as GM Kelly McCrimmon told reporters including Mike Morreale of NHL.com that Max Pacioretty would make his postseason debut. The top-line winger missed the entire round-robin but won’t be held back when things get going in the first round:
I think Max’s workload will be identical to what it was. I don’t think that will change in any way shape or form. He’s completely ready to go. We’re not worried about that at all.
“Patches” as he is called by his teammates, was feeling right at home this season with the Golden Knights after a rocky first year with the team. Following a trade from the Montreal Canadiens, the only NHL team he had ever known, Pacioretty scored just 22 goals and 40 points in 2018-19. That was low for him, but things were right back to normal this season when he broke the 30-goal mark for the sixth time in his career and led the Golden Knights with 66 points in 71 games.
- It was Joonas Korpisalo back in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets when they faced off against the Toronto Maple Leafs in a winner-take-all game five last night. Korpisalo would end up getting a shutout in the deciding game and he’ll have every chance to roll with the Blue Jackets for some time. Tandem partner Elvis Merzlikins, who came in for Korpisalo partway through the series, is out indefinitely with an injury according to head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella told team reporter Jeff Svoboda “he’s out. I’m not sure how long.” Merzlikins was outstanding in his first taste of NHL action this year, posting a .923 save percentage as a rookie. He also stopped 70 of 74 shots against the Maple Leafs, who had trouble scoring no matter who was in the net for Columbus.
- Micheal Ferland remains “unfit to play” according to Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green. Ferland actually left the bubble in Edmonton last week and returned home to Manitoba after leaving a game against the Minnesota Wild. While the team cannot comment on the exact injury due to the COVID-19 reporting protocols, Darren Dreger of TSN was told at the time that Ferland was dealing with similar post-concussion issues that kept him out for most of the year. Though the team had said he would be re-evaluated after the Minnesota series ended, it’s clear that a return is not in the cards just yet.
- The New York Islanders and Washington Capitals could potentially both be getting some reinforcements for their first-round series. Brian Compton of NHL.com reports that Johnny Boychuk is “highly probable” for game one, while Samantha Pell of the Washington Post was told by Capitals coach Todd Reirden that John Carlson took part in their optional skate today and is “taking steps in the right direction.” Carlson, a Norris Trophy finalist as one of the league’s top defensemen, didn’t play in the round-robin after taking an awkward fall in the Capitals exhibition game.