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NHL Player Safety comes down on Leafs forward Sam Lafferty.

Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports

Things got pretty rough between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs during Saturday night’s Game 3, but I doubt that many of you expected that it would be Maple Leafs forward Sam Lafferty that would be getting the call from the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety (DOPS) on Sunday.

There was plenty of physicality on both sides last night but the DOPS has chosen to single out Lafferty for a crosscheck that he delivered to the mouth and face of Lightning forward Ross Colton. As a result of his infraction, Lafferty will now be forced to forfeit $3,108.11, in salary which is the maximum allowable amount under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement.

Although Colton may have done a little selling on the play in the hopes of drawing a penalty, there’s no question that Lafferty got too loose with his stick and did in fact strike Colton in face. With that in mind the fine is perfectly warranted, but it is still somewhat surprising to see this particular infraction singled out given the number of dangerous plays that occurred on Saturday night.

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Jon Cooper fires back at Sheldon Keefe after Game 3.

Bruce Bennett/Getty

On Saturday, following the conclusion of Game 3 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe made some highly publicized comments regarding the way the Lightning conducted themselves during a scrum that occurred off the back of a big hit. That hit, one that came courtesy of Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly, would send Lightning forward Brayden Point crashing awkwardly into the end boards with his head and shoulder absorbing the brunt of the impact.

Keefe accused the Lightning of “manipulating the officials” during the scrum, suggesting that the Lightning took liberties knowing full well that the officials would not put them in a 5 on 3 situation. The Maple Leafs head coach also accused the Lightning of “taking advantage of a situation” adding that “they just know… they’re not going to get another penalty.”

On Sunday, Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was asked to respond to the comments made by his counterpart in this series, and Cooper flat out denied any knowledge of Keefe’s accusations. Not only did Cooper deny any manipulation, but he also suggested that it was his squad that should have had the man advantage.

“Manipulated the referees. Alright, I’m not sure what that means, but I would say this. When that hit happened, I think everybody watching at home and everybody in the building, including us, thought we were going on the power play,” argued Cooper.

The Lightning head coach would go a step further by suggesting that none of his players did anything, or would do anything, that would have jeopardized that potential power play for the Lightning.

“Our two best power-play players, I don’t think they would ever sit there and take themselves off a power play unless they thought something unjust happened. Auston Matthews doesn’t kill penalties. That actually worked against us, to be honest. Now, we ended up being shorthanded after that, but I don’t think anybody thought that was going to happen at the time, so I don’t know, that one’s a little different for me.”

It seems clear both coaches have drastically different perspectives regarding what transpired last night.

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Second, close-up, video emerges of Kyle Dubas ‘yelling’ at fans.

Earlier today we brought you a report of a video that purports to show Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas ‘yelling’ at fans at Amalie Arena, and now a second video angle appears to corroborate those initial claims.

This second video was published on Tik Tok by user ‘buffyclements1972’ and it provides us with a much closer look at the action that we saw take place in the original video. In this video not only do we get a close up of Dubas himself, one that appears to show considerably more anger from Dubas, but it might even catch the Leafs GM launching a few expletives at the crowd.

We can clearly hear a few f-bombs go off during the clip, with Dubas appearing to mouth the words as well, and on top of that the user who published the video claims the following:

“[Kyle] Dubas with [the Maple Leafs] yelling at [Tampa Bay Lightning] fans at game 3 tonight. I’ve never seen a GM yell F*** off and f*** you at fans before. Great sportsmanship yall should be proud.”

Here’s a look at the second video angle:

@buffyclements1972 Keith Dubas with @mapleleafs yelling at @tblightning fans at game 3 tonight. Ive never seen a GM yell Fuck off and fuck you at fans before. Great sportsmanship yall should be proud #nhl #nhlplayoffs #tampabaylightning #torontomapleleafs #game3 #amaliaarena #hockey #nhlplayoffs2023 ♬ original sound – Buffy Clements

It was a very intense Game 3 on Saturday night and it seems emotions were running high all over Amalie Arena.

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Bruins release projected lineup for critical Game 3

NHL.com

The Boston Bruins were punched in the mouth by the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night, and they had no response. The Panthers, who played the Bruins hard in Game 1 of their Round 1 postseason series despite a 3-1 setback, dominated Game 2 and tied up the series with a convincing 6-3 win. 

The two teams have since shifted locations, as they’re now in Florida for Games 3 and 4 that will be played at FLA Live Arena. The Bruins have already announced that captain Patrice Bergeron will not be suiting up for either contest, though there’s a chance he could be back for Game 5 back at Boston’s TD Garden. Meanwhile, goaltender Linus Ullmark is said to be a game-time decision. 

“Ullmark is a game-time decision and Bergeron did not make the trip,” head coach Jim Montgomery confirmed Friday morning.

Meanwhile, it will be Jakub Lauko replacing Nick Foligno up front, while Matt Grzelcyk replace Connor Clifton on the blue line.

“We couldn’t come to a consensus,” Montgomery explained when discussing lineup changes for Game 3. “So you know how they do the lotto balls, how they come out? We just spit them out and I like how they came out. There’s a method to how we think the lines will help us for tonight.”

Take a look at tonight’s projected line combinations for the critical Game 3 matchup:

Forwards 

Brad Marchand-Charlie Coyle-Trent Frederic

Tyler Bertuzzi-Pavel Zacha-David Pastrnak

Taylor Hall-David Krejci-Jake DeBrusk

Jakub Lauko–Tomas Nosek–Garnet Hathaway

Defensemen

Matt Grzelcyk-Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm-Brandon Carlo

Derek Forbort-Dmitry Orlov

Tonight’s game will officially get underway starting at 7:30 PM EST. 

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Sheldon Keefe praises Matthew Knies for postseason debut

Yahoo Sports

The Toronto Maple Leafs capped back in a huge way against the Tampa Bay Lightning, reversing the tables in nearly identical fashion of what had happened to them in the first game of the series with a dominating 7-2 performance, knotting things up at 1-1 before the two teams shift for Games 3 and 4 in Tampa Bay at Amalie Arena. 

The Leafs were led by captain John Tavares, who netted his first career postseason hat trick. Mitch Marner and William Nylander also tallied, while defenseman Morgan Rielly added four assists. Last night also marked the postseason debut of forward Matthew Knies, who is in the lineup following the three game suspension to Michael Bunting. 

Playing on a line with Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari, head coach Sheldon Keefe had nothing but good things to say about Knies and his first postseason experience despite a 1st period penalty. 

“I thought the line was terrific. We will watch it all back and everything, but it felt to me like they were in the offensive zone — or at least out of trouble — a lot. Matt, in particular, took a penalty in the first period, but I thought he skated well. He was hard on the puck. He made a couple of great offensive plays. It was a real good performance from him. O’Reilly and Acciari were real pros tonight just with how they took care of him and took care of the game when they were out there.”

Knies would finish the night with two shots on net while also tying the team lead in hits in the game with five of his own. And needless to say, he was excited about it.

“It was unreal,” he said of playing in the playoffs. 

Tampa Bay and Toronto will play Game 3 from Amalie Arena tomorrow starting at 7:00 PM EST. 

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Another injury forces Kings to shuffle lines hours before Game 3

NHL.com

The Los Angeles Kings and head coach Todd McLellan will need to put the lines in the mixer ahead of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers in their first round series on Friday night.

The Kings confirmed that both forwards Blake Lizotte and Kevin Fiala won’t be in tonight’s lineup. McLellan told reporters after Friday’s morning stake that Lizotte will miss the game due to a lower-body injury.

While Lizotte did not record a point in the first two games against Edmonton, he did put up 11 goals and 34 points in 81 games during the regular season.

As for Fiala, he has been out of the lineup since April 1 with a lower-body injury. He finished second on the team in scoring during the regular season with 72 points in 69 games.

Neither player participated in the team’s morning skate, and Gabriel Vilardi is likely to take over Lizotte’s spot at centre on the third line, between Alex Iafallo and Carl Grundstrom.

The series, which is tied 1-1, shifts to Los Angeles later tonight.

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Decision announced on Linus Ullmark for Bruins’ Game 3 minutes prior to puck drop

NHL.com

Fans started to get worried on Friday morning when at practice in Florida, Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark was absent ahead of Game 3 of their first round series against the Panthers.

Then, head coach Jim Montgomery made him a game-time decision. Now, the decision time has come and finally, Ullmark fooled everyone by heading out onto the ice for warmups, leading his Bruins in the starting role for this contest.

Ullmark turned aside 24 of 29 shots against the Panthers in Game 2’s 6-3 loss. In the regular season, he went 40-6-1 in 46 appearances, posting a .938 save percentage and 1.89 goals-against average.  

The Bruins and Panthers are tied 1-1 in their first-round, best-of-seven playoff series with Game 3 underway in a few minutes. 

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Hurricanes get unexpected boost minutes prior to Game 3

NHL.com

The Carolina Hurricanes got terrible news heading into Game 3 of their first round series against the New York Islanders. They found out that forward Teuvo Teravainen will be out for the remainder of the team’s series against the New York Islanders, maybe longer, with a fractured hand. Teravainen was the last man standing of the trio with Max Pacioretty and Andrei Svechnikov, both of whom are on injured reserve with season-ending lower-body injuries. This prompted the Canes to recall six players ahead of Game 3.

Now in warmups, minutes before puck drop in New York, forward Jesse Puljujarvi was on the ice and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes he will be in the Hurricanes’ lineup, making his playoff debut with the club.

Puljujarvi was a healthy scratch in Carolina’s first two playoff games. He had only two assists in 17 games with the Hurricanes after his trade from the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 28.

At the same thing, the Islanders might be able to count on defenseman Alexander Romanov, who has not played since April 1, as he took part in warmups after the Islanders called him a game time decision on Friday.

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Connor Bedard stuns with decision for World Championships ahead of lottery draft

WHL

Projected first-overall pick Connor Bedard has played enough hockey. On Friday, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek confirmed that Bedard will not participate in the upcoming World Hockey Championships.

Bedard’s playoff run with the Regina Pats of the WHL was cut short when his team was eliminated by the Saskatoon Blades. In seven playoff games, Bedard had 10 goals and 20 points. He racked up 71 goals and 72 assists in just 57 games for the Pats this season.

Bedard was the first player to earn exceptional status in the WHL after scoring 43 goals and 84 points in 36 games for West Van Academy Prep’s U18 team, leading the Canadian Sports School Hockey League (CSSHL) in scoring and earning MVP honours as a 14 year old. Bedard’s dream season with the Pats is now over, and he shifts his focus to the NHL Draft lottery. Like most hockey fans whose teams are out of the postseason.

Prior to the deadline, there were a multitude of trades involving first-round picks. As a result, the Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks all have two selections in the first round, and the St. Louis Blues own three. The Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins all traded away their first-round draft picks and don’t have a selection within the first 32 picks.

The draft lottery takes place on May 8 and is expected to determine which teams will land the top pick to select Bedard first overall.

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Minnesota Wild release discouraging injury update

Fox News

The Minnesota Wild were spanked by the Dallas Stars in Game 2 of their opening round postseason series, surrendering seven goals over the course of the 7-3 loss. The Wild and Stars are now tied at 1-1, with the series having shifted back up north to St. Paul for Games 3 and 4. 

The unfortunate news is that forward Joel Eriksson Ek, who hasn’t played since suffering an injury on April 6, isn’t expected to be able to suit up tonight. Meanwhile, forward Ryan Hartman isn’t expected to be able to play either. He was also absent from Game 2 after playing the role of hero with the overtime game-winning goal in Game 1 thanks to a lower-body injury.

“Whoever is in our lineup tonight regardless we need to play better than we did in Game 2,” Wild head coach Dean Evason said, “and we’re looking forward to doing that.”

“All positions are important, clearly,” Evason said. “But when you have your arguably 1-2 center icemen out, it’s difficult, right? There’s a lot to make up there. Dallas is extremely strong down the middle and they have a lot of like we do, too, we have a lot of wingers who can play center and take faceoffs as well.

“They have a lot of people there who make it difficult for us when we don’t have two of our guys up the middle.”

The good news is that former Stars defenseman John Klingberg is slated to return to the Wild lineup; it will be his series debut after having been injured this weekend in practice.

Forwards

Kirill Kaprizov-Sam Steel-Mats Zuccarello

Marcus Johansson-Matt Boldy-Marcus Foligno

Gus Nyquist-Frederick Gaudreau-Oskar Sundqvist

Brandon Duhaime-Connor Dewar-Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Jake Middleton-Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin-Matt Dumba

John Klingberg-Brock Faber

Goaltenders

Filip Gustavsson

Marc-Andre Fleury

Tonight’s game will begin at 9:30 PM EST.