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Andrew Cogliano diagnosed with broken neck after hit from Jordan Eberle.

The Colorado Avalanche are absolutely furious with the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety, and now we’ve got a pretty good idea as to why.

On Friday night, veteran Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano was on the receiving end of a nasty looking hit from Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle. The hit immediately looked terrible, with Cogliano going head first into the boards at a sickening angle, resulting in a penalty being called against Eberle.

Eberle only received a 2 minute minor at the time, much to the chagrin of the Avalanche, and following the game the Avalanche would receive no help from the Department of Player Safety either. The Department of Player Safety didn’t so much as levy a fine against Eberle, something that likely will only serve to make them look all that much worse given the most recent update on Cogliano’s status.

According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Cogliano has now been diagnosed with a fractured neck, and more specifically a fracture of the C5 Lamina. This is of course a very serious injury and as a result Cogliano has been ruled out “indefinitely” with no indication that he will return at any point during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It is a huge loss for the Avalanche, one that will be very tough to swallow given the circumstances of Cogliano’s injury. It will be very interesting to see how both teams respond in Game 7 of this series.

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Maple Leafs make 3 lineup changes for Game 6.

Duane Burleson/AP

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a chance to break the curse and advance beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Saturday night, but to do so they will have to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning on their home ice at Amalie Arena.

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe is pulling out all the stops for tonight’s Game 6 with 3 changes to his lineup, although there is reason to suspect that some of these changes may have come as the result of the Maple Leafs battling some injuries.

Coming into the lineup tonight will be Michael Bunting, Timothy Liljegren and Erik Gustafsson, and with an opportunity for those 3 we will see Justin Holl, Sam Lafferty and Zach Aston-Reese forced to step aside to make room.

That leaves the Maple Leafs with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen for Game 6.

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Tornado warning issued in Tampa Bay ahead of Game 6.

Eric Canha/CSM/Zuma

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night when the two teams clash for Game 6 of their opening round series in the Stanley Cup playoffs, while the Lightning will look to use the energy from their home crowd at Amalie Arena to stave off elimination.

Unfortunately for the Lightning it seems as though Mother Nature may not be fully cooperating with their efforts tonight, with the Lightning already forced to cancel a big event ahead of Game 6. The Lightning announced that, following a tornado warning in the Tampa Bay area, their outdoor watch party for Game 6 has been shut down.

“In the interest of public safety, tonight’s Plaza Watch Party has been cancelled due to the Tornado Warning issued by the NWS,” said the Lightning in a statement. “Please stay safe Tampa Bay and Go Bolts!”

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for the Tampa Bay area which includes the following counties:

Manatee
Hernando
Polk
Hillsborough
Hardee
Pinellas
Pasco
Citrus
Highlands

This is of course also a concern for the game at Amalie Arena tonight, however thus far there have been no indications of any kind that suggest the game itself is in any danger of being cancelled.

Stay safe out there.

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Jared Bednar calls out NHL Player Safety after Eberle folds Cogliano like an accordion.

The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety has been the subject of much criticism since its inception and now it seems they have rubbed the Colorado Avalanche the wrong way.

The Avalanche were up in arms following the conclusion of Game 6 on Friday night thanks in large part to a dangerous hit from Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle. Eberle’s hit sent veteran Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano crashing into the boards with Cogliano’s head absorbing a good part of the impact and it looked as though Cogliano could have been seriously injured on the play.

Although Eberle was awarded a 2 minute minor penalty for the infraction, the Avalanche clearly felt that a major should have been assessed given the dangerous nature of the hit. In spite of that belief, the Avalanche would not get their way and star forward Nathan MacKinnon expressed his disbelief at the decision from the officials.

The Avalanche were left to rely on the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for any additional discipline to Eberle, but on Saturday it was revealed that the league would not be suspending Eberle, nor would they be issuing a fine, for Eberle’s hit to Cogliano.

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar expressed his own disbelief at the decision from Player Safety.

“I don’t know,” said Bednar. “I can’t figure it out anymore. I don’t even try.”

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Tavares, Maple Leafs make history with win in Game 6.

Dom Gagne/CSM/Zuma

For the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Saturday night will go down as a night to remember for many.

On Saturday night, during Game 6 of the opening round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Maple Leafs finally got over the hump and managed to advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Given that the Leafs not advancing beyond the first round had become one of the biggest jokes/memes in the hockey community, it’s easy to see why all the focus has been on the win itself. That being said though, one thing being overlooked by many is that this was also a record setting night for a franchise that has struggled mightily to get over the hump.

Both the Maple Leafs themselves and their captain, Leafs forward John Tavares, would earn themselves a little piece of National Hockey League history on Saturday night when they accomplished feats that none before them had managed.

In the case of Tavares, the Leafs captain established a new Maple Leafs record by becoming the first captain in the storied history of the franchise to score a series-clinching overtime goal. Tavares initially came to Toronto to fulfill his childhood dream of playing for his hometown team, and no doubt becoming the first captain to clinch a series for the franchise in overtime is something he will cherish for the rest of his life. It is also a record that can never be lost, given that there will never be another first.

The Maple Leafs on the other hand set a league-wide record, arguably making it more impressive than Tavares’ own, even if this record has considerably less emotional weight behind it. In their series win over the Lightning, the Maple Leafs needed to win 3 road games in overtime, a feat that has never before been accomplished by any team in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs over the course of a single series.

Although fans in Toronto already have reason to celebrate, a few more won’t hurt.

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Sheldon Keefe admits he blacked out after winning Game 6.

Although advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs isn’t usually an accomplishment that you would celebrate, for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs and for the Maple Leafs organization on Saturday night it was most definitely a cause for celebration.

After years of disappointment the Leafs finally managed to achieve a modicum of playoff success when they dispatched the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that has defined what it is to be a championship level team in the National Hockey League for the past few years, in just 6 games. Not only was it a moment of joy for the organization, but the relief felt by many who had the proverbial Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads must have been truly overhwelming.

On Saturday night, following the conclusion of Game 6, there was perhaps no one individual who exemplified these feelings more than Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe. While speaking to the media, Keefe admitted that he was so filled with emotion that he genuinely blacked out during perhaps the biggest moment of his professional career.

“Jubilation…. I don’t know you black out in those moments,” admitted Keefe following Game 6. “You don’t know what’s going on, you’re just really excited. It’s been a long time coming. A long time coming for a lot of players in our room, a long time coming for myself, and even longer coming for Leafs nation. So it’s a great night.

The joy radiating from Keefe, who again must have had such a giant weight lifted off of his shoulders, was palpable. You can see it for yourself, and hear the man in his own words, in the short clip below.

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First comments from Auston Matthews after advancing past the Lightning.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally clawed that monkey off of their backs, advancing past the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night by defeating them in six games.

It was a huge moment for a franchise, fan base, and quite frankly a locker room that has watched this group struggle to get over the hump year after year and following the game Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews was asked to share just how much the moment meant to him.

“It’s a great feeling… but this is step one of three,” said Matthews following the huge win. “It’s a bit of a monkey off our back and we’ve still got a lot of work to do, but obviously this feels great.”

The Maple Leafs have picked up a ton of experience despite their lack of success in the playoffs over the years, often clashing with championship caliber teams in those early exits, and it seems that this accumulated experience may have paid dividends this time around.

“There’s so many ups and downs and it’s just a rollercoaster, so you just gotta try stay even keeled and just enjoy the moment,” said Matthews. “Stay present, and I’m just so proud of every guy in this locker room.”

Matthews was also cognizant of the fact that this is only the first step in a long process to obtaining a championship, but he seemed confident in his team’s ability to do just that.

“It’s a small step in where we are trying to go, but obviously this is a big one for us,” admitted Matthews. “Obviously we have the belief in our room but we’re still a long way from where we wanna go. We just gotta stay in the moment here and get ready for this next round.”

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A closer look at Stuart Skinner’s ‘big mistake’ in Game 6.

Andy Devlin/NHLI/Getty

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but it was probably a lot closer than the Oilers would have liked.

Although the game was back and forth with a solid effort from both teams on the ice, it would be a catastrophic mistake from Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner that would keep the Kings close late in the game. That mistake from Skinner was a routine clearing attempt that went horribly wrong and resulted in a goal for the Kings.

First let’s take a look at the play in real time:

This clearly looked like a horrific play on the part of Skinner, but thanks to one sharp-eyed observer watching on Saturday night we now know that it was nothing of the sort. 

Kevin Woodley, who deserves all the credit in the world for noticing this, was quick to notice upon zooming in on the play that Skinner’s stick had actually broken on the play.

Here’s another look in slow motion:

Another sharp-eyed observer in Derek Schlereth noticed that the stick had actually been broken by a Kings player, Adrian Kempe to be exact.

So while Stuart Skinner was catching plenty of heat for his ‘big mistake’ it turns out it wasn’t a mistake at all, but just a very unfortunate series of events.

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Jim Montgomery hints at 3 major changes for Game 7.

The Boston Bruins are in an unexpected position heading into Sunday’s Game 7, facing the threat of an early elimination in the Stanley Cup playoffs after the most dominant regular season in National Hockey League history and after taking a commanding 3-1 lead over the Florida Panthers in this series.

It’s hard to believe but it feels like all of the pressure is now on the Bruins to close out the deal, and it seems as though head coach Jim Montgomery may be making the changes he feels necessary to deal with the toughest hurdle his team has faced all season.

Although Montgomery would not disclose any changes he made to his lineup on Sunday, there are some things we can infer based on how the Bruins behaved during their morning skate. The biggest of these changes appears to be a much anticipated change in goal, with backup goaltender Jeremy Swayman being the first off the ice during the skate on Saturday. This is usually an indication of who the starter will be, although things could change at a moments notice during the playoffs.

Montgomery also appeared to swap out a pair of skaters on Sunday, with Nick Foligno and Conor Clifton remaining on the ice late into practice, an indication that they will both be scratched tonight. Bruins insider Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe believes that this means we will see Trent Frederic and Matt Grzelcyk step into the lineup tonight to replace those two aforementioned Bruins.

A first round exit would be incredibly disappointing after the season the Bruins had, and it will be very interesting to see how they react to that pressure tonight.

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Minnesota Wild get terrible injury news ahead of Game 6

The New York Post

The Minnesota Wild officially have their backs against the wall coming into tonight’s Game 6 of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the rival Dallas Stars. Despite having taken a 1-0 series lead in Game 1 thanks to overtime hero Ryan Hartman, the Stars have proceeded to win three of the next four, putting themselves within one victory of punching their ticket to Round 2. 

And ahead of tonight’s Game 6, some less than spectacular injury news has been made public. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, forward Mats Zuccarello hasn’t skated in the last two days and may not be able to go tonight.

Zuccarello has scored two goals with three assists in the five postseason games that he’s appeared in. Needless to say, not having him in the lineup with their season on the line would be a completely unideal situation for the Wild, who are facing the prospect of yet another first round exit. 

Tonight’s game will begin from Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul starting at 9:30 PM EST.