The Boston Bruins have been hit by a bug, reports Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic.
Head coach Jim Montgomery says several of his players are ill and the team made Monday's practice ahead of Game 1 against Florida an optional one. (That game can be seen on Sportsnet at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.)
Team captain Patrice Bergeron did not skate on Monday and remains a game-time decision, Montgomery said. Bergeron, 37, has not practised all weekend. The Bruins recalled goalie Brandon Bussi from AHL Providence, as backup Jeremy Swayman was one of those apparently affected by the bug, though he did skate Monday.
The good news for the Bruins was that forward David Krejci and defenceman Derek Forbort were both expected to play. Krejci has not played since suffering a lower-body injury on April 1, while Forbort has been out since March 16 and was on LTIR, also due to a lower-body injury.
Winnipeg Jets
Head coach Rick Bowness is hopeful winger Nikolaj Ehlers will be ready for Game 1 of the Jets' series with Vegas, according to Sportsnet's Ken Wiebe.
Bowness said he considered Ehlers, who has been out since April 11 with an upper-body injury, day-to-day. That series starts Tuesday and can be seen on Sportsnet.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot was seen back on the ice on Monday, hinting he may be able to return for Tampa's first-round series against Toronto.
Jeannot was an extra forward, but worked himself in with Anthony Cirelli's line, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.
Head coach Jon Cooper said Jeannot would not play in Game 1, but the door remained open on him making an appearance before the series was over, according to Lightning beat writer Chris Krenn. That series begins Tuesday in Toronto and can be seen on Sportsnet.
Jeannot, whom the Lightning acquired from Nashville ahead of the trade deadline for defenceman Cal Foote and five draft picks, fell awkwardly in a 6-1 loss to the New York Islanders on April 6. The way he fell did not look good, but initial reports were that the injury was not as bad as it seemed.
Florida Panthers
Alex Lyon was announced as Florida's pick to be the starting goaltender for Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the Boston Bruins on Monday night. It'll be Lyon's NHL playoff debut.
The 30-year-old Lyon went undrafted and is essentially a career minor-leaguer — with 227 games in the AHL, including playoffs, and only had 24 entering this season in the NHL. He went 9-4-2 for the Panthers this season, with a 2.89 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.
Lyon won six straight for Florida in the last few weeks of the season, allowing just 1.5 goals a game during the stretch.
Carolina Hurricanes
Antti Raanta will get the start in goal when the Hurricanes face the Islanders in Game 1 on Monday night (7 p.m. on SN NOW).
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour confirmed the decision, giving the 27-year-old Finn the nod ahead of veteran Frederik Andersen.
Raanta was 19-3-3 this season with a .910 save percentage and 2.23 goals-against average, while Andersen, 34, went 21-11-1, .903 SV%, 2.48 GAA.
The Hurricanes also called up goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, 23, from their AHL team Chicago Wolves, whose season is over. Kochetkov made 24 appearances for Carolina this season, going 12-7-5, with a 2.44 GAA and .909 SV5, including four shutouts.
Nashville Predators
Barry Trotz, who is set to take over as GM of the Predators when David Poile retires on June 30, said he is going to let things "play out" with respect to head coach John Hynes.
"He has a contract, but it's a process," Trotz told the media on Monday, adding he wants to "see his plan for next year."
Poile hired Hynes in January 2020 to take over as the team's third head coach in franchise history. A year ago, Poile gave Hynes and his assistants an extension through the 2023-24 season.
Trotz was the Predators' first head coach and was with the team for 15 seasons. During his time in Nashville, Trotz had a 557-479-60-100 record.
Washington Capitals
Days after mutually parting ways with head coach Peter Laviolette, the Washington Capitals that assistant coaches Kevin McCarthy and Blaine Forsythe would also not be returning next season, according to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic.
McCarthy joined the club along with Laviolette three years ago, while Forsythe had been an assistant for 18 seasons with the team.
Boston Bruins
He may be retired, but former Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara is still an athlete. The 46-year-old was spotted running the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Chara wore big No. 3333, naturally.
— With files from The Associated Press
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