The Columbus Blue Jackets will try a little tinkering to keep them alive in their playoff series against the defending champs. Lukas Sedlak will draw back into the lineup in place of Scott Hartnell, while Matt Calvert, Kyle Quincey and Markus Nutivaara will all play according to a TSN report.
Sedlak will be making his NHL playoff debut after a rookie season that saw him contribute 13 points in 62 games. The 24-year old was a huge part of the Lake Erie (now Cleveland) Monsters’ Calder Cup win last year, with 16 points in 17 AHL playoff games. Perhaps he can provide some of that magic as the Blue Jackets attempt to stave off elimination for one more game.
- Karl Alzner won’t play in game four of the Capitals-Maple Leafs series according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. The pending unrestricted free agent sat out their game three overtime loss and was a noticeable absence. Though Nate Schmidt skated well, Alzner had previously been tasked with shutting down the Auston Matthews line, and without him they had their way with the Capitals. Scoring two goals and dominating possession—shot attempts were an insane 23-5 when William Nylander was on the ice—the Capitals need to find a way to slow down that line even without Alzner in the lineup.
- Roman Polak will undergo surgery today to repair a broken right leg suffered on Saturday night. While there is no timetable for his return, he’ll likely try to make it back for the start of the 2017-18 season. Where he’ll be playing is still undecided, as he will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. After an up-and-down season with the Leafs, he’ll be hard pressed to secure the same $2.25MM salary he earned this year.