SUMMER OF STANLEY ABOUT TO GET REAL
It’s “business unusual” for the National Hockey League.
After four and a half months of a global health scare, empty buildings, blank TV screens, and a risky restart plan, 24 teams are finally back and raring to go.
The Carolina Hurricanes will take on the New York Rangers at noon ET on Saturday in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena in the first Stanley Cup playoff game ever staged in August.
“You really are starting over,” said Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’amour, whose team was doing well, having put up points in four of five games when play was halted on March 12.
“Even though your systems aren’t all that different from where we were, that goes out the window.
“Everyone came back (to training camp) at different spots and we have new guys in the lineup. It’s a little bit of an unknown.”
Toronto and Edmonton are the respective East and West hub cities, thanks to their provinces keeping a lid on COVID-19. Eight teams in each conference will begin a best-of-five series this weekend, while the four top teams embark on a separate round robin for future seeding.
All teams are enclosed in hotel/ rink bubbles, potentially for weeks, away from family and friends as the first three rounds are played. The best-of-seven conference finals and championship move to Edmonton with an early October completion date. There will be no fans in the stands, just piped-in music and a light show.
But it’s the Stanley Cup we’re talking about. One player arriving in Canada briefly pondered the “duration of stay” box on his customs card before writing in “70 days.” He’s intending to go the distance.
“For sure, the (same playoff ) intensity will be there,” said Carolina’s Jordan Staal of playing in empty venues. “The momentum shifts with (no) crowd might not be the same. But as soon as the puck drops, it’s going to be a battle.”
PATCHING BIG LINEUP HOLES
Victor Hedman’s absence for part of last year’s first round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets contributed to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s shocking exit.
Now he might not be in the lineup for Monday’s round robin opener against the Capitals.
Scheduled to join the Bolts in Toronto on Friday after staying behind to deal with what the team calls “a personal matter,” the Norris Trophy finalist didn’t appear.
Sniper Steven Stamkos is back, however, from a lower body injury and he practised on Friday.
It looks like Carolina will have young Martin Necas in its lineup on Saturday, though the defence is missing Dougie Hamilton, who is unfit to play, and Brett Pesce is still recovering from shoulder surgery.
Boston’s Brad Marchand left Thursday’s exhibition against Columbus after misfiring as he attempted to hit Zach Werenski. Coach Bruce Cassidy doesn’t think Marchand’s injury is serious.
SLOW STARTS MEAN NO STARTS
While most teams who lost their lone exhibition games wrote it off to rust, the Panthers were a lot more concerned. They were drubbed 5-0 by the Lightning on Wednesday, ahead of Saturday’s Game 1 against the New York Islanders.
“That certainly got our attention,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “We had two spirited practices with a sour taste in our mouths.”
Quenneville agreed that it will be harder to give unproductive or slow-starting players more rope in a shorter series without going to quick changes.
“You’re always playing to win that game. The waiting, waiting, waiting ... sometimes you don’t have that patience.”
Luke Schenn of the Lightning, a father of two kids, says he’s gone overtime on Facetime since entering the Toronto bubble. His three-year-old, Kingston, “calls me every day, asking me if I’m coming home tomorrow.” ... The Flyers bought billboard space in Toronto to feature their edgy mascot Gritty, and teams can’t miss the sign as they travel to and from the practice arena, hotels and Scotiabank. “Every shot you take, every save you make, I’ll be watching you,” is the creepy caption ... Newly signed Russian defender Alexander Romanov has finally joined the Canadiens for practice, but as his contract can’t be activated until the 2020-21 season, he can’t play against Pittsburgh ... Four of the five youngest teams in the playoffs are in the East; the Rangers with an average age of 25.7, first-round foes Toronto and Columbus at 26.1 and Montreal at 26.4 ... Usually, Maple Leaf Square would be jammed for a giant playoff viewing party on the video screen of the Leafs or when a big game is on. But in the midst of COVID -19, the last thing the team wants to do is attract fans into a tight space, so they’ll just run Leafs and Raptors ads all day while the games are playing inside.