NHL Atlantic

The Tampa Bay Lightning are one win away from their second straight Stanley Cup triumph with a 3-0 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens heading into Monday night's Game 4.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is not-so-secretly hoping for a Game 5, albeit for good reason. With Game 4 set for Montreal and the series due to return to Tampa for a potential Game 5, Castor says she wants the Lightning to get a chance to celebrate in front of the home crowd.

"What we would like is for the Lightning to take it a little bit easy, to give the Canadiens just the smallest break, allow them to win one at home, and then bring it back to the Amalie Arena for the final and the winning of the Stanley Cup," Castor said Sunday. "We don't want to get ahead of ourselves. But they are playing some amazing, amazing hockey."

The Lightning were forced to celebrate their 2020 Cup victory without fanfare because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NHL held the Stanley Cup Final in Montreal as part of a bubble arrangement. 

Family and friends of players/staff were not permitted to cross the Canadian border for Games 3 and 4 in Montreal, so the team would be facing a similar situation to last year if they were to win Monday night.

If the Tampa Bay Lightning secure their second straight Stanley Cup title in Game 4 on Monday night, the team's celebration won't include family members.

Per ESPN's Emily Kaplan, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the Canadian government didn't grant exemptions for Lightning family members to attend the game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Last month, the Canadian government approved the NHL's request for a travel exemption that allowed teams to travel between Canada and the U.S. for the final two rounds of the postseason without having to quarantine.

The league agreed that teams entering the country would undergo daily coronavirus testing and live in a modified bubble in which they had no contact with the public.

Per the Canadian government's website, anyone traveling into the country, "regardless of citizenship," is required to quarantine for 14 days even if they don't have any COVID-19 symptoms.

Kaplan noted that Lightning players, coaches and staff "have only been able to travel between their hotel and the arena" since arriving in Montreal prior to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Canadiens interim head coach Dominique Ducharme returned to the bench for Friday's 6-3 loss. He had missed the team's previous six games after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Lightning will look to close out the Stanley Cup Final in Game 4 at the Bell Centre. They would become the first team to repeat as champions since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015-16 and 2016-17.     

The Buffalo Sabres removed the interim tag from Don Granato on Tuesday, making him the 20th head coach in franchise history.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported Granato's contract will be for three years. He took over as interim coach on March 17, leading the Sabres to a 9-16-3 record.

The veteran coach initially joined the Sabres under Ralph Krueger during the 2019-20 season. Buffalo fired Krueger after less than two seasons.

The Sabres have not reached the playoffs since the 2010-11 season. Granato will be tasked with improving a roster that recorded just 15 wins in a 56-game season, though most of those came under his tutelage.

"He made all the young guys play very well," defenseman Rasmus Dahlin told reporters of Granato. "He made us feel confident. Every day we came to the rink we were in a good mood. We always knew he had our back and that's a huge key for having success."

The young locker room's confidence in Granato is likely what won him the job. The 53-year-old understands working his way up through the system after having done it himself as a coach, beginning with the USHL in 1993 and then transitioning to the CHL and AHL before finally getting his chance at the NHL level.

The Buffalo Sabres are reportedly seeking "at least four pieces that would be equivalent of first-rounders" in order to move star center Jack Eichel in a blockbuster trade.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported the asking price Monday, and noted the New York Rangers are among the interested NHL teams and have had "preliminary talks" with the Sabres about Eichel, but they're awaiting further medical information after he missed the end of the 2020-21 season with a neck injury.

In his season-ending press conference, Eichel expressed frustration about how the organization handled the treatment of the herniated disk in his neck. His side preferred a surgical procedure, while the Sabres wanted to take the more conservative route of rest and rehabilitation.

"My No. 1 interest and my No. 1 goal is Jack Eichel,” he told reporters. "... You've got to look after yourself, you've got to look after what you think is best for yourself, and the organization has a similar job to do, but it's to look after what's best for the Buffalo Sabres."

He added his main goal was "just trying to get healthy and figure out a way to be available to play hockey next year...wherever that might be."

In turn, the trade rumors that had already started to circulate during the Sabres' struggles en route to their 10th straight playoff-less season kicked into overdrive following the three-time All-Star's comments.

Trying to determine fair value for Eichel could prove difficult for Buffalo and interested teams, though.

The 24-year-old Boston University product is one of the NHL's best centers when healthy. He's tallied 355 points (139 goals and 216 assists) across 375 games since the Sabres selected him with the second overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft.

Eichel has compiled those numbers despite playing on some lackluster Buffalo teams, and there's a real chance he could take his game to an MVP level alongside more talented teammates.

On the flip side, he's coming off an injury that caused him to miss the final two months of the 2020-21 campaign and still doesn't have a definitive treatment plan or timetable for a return to full strength. Opposing general managers will probably also point toward his own remarks to suggest he may want out of Buffalo.

The other factor is his eight-year, $80 million contract. The Sabres will argue teams are acquiring an elite center under team control through 2025-26. Interested front offices will say his $10 million cap hit each season is difficult to navigate in the NHL's uncertain financial waters coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eichel is the Sabres' most valuable asset by a considerable margin. If the team ultimately moves him, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams' opportunity to turn the struggling franchise around will likely hinge almost entirely on the return he gets for the team's current captain.

The equivalent of four first-round picks—the same compensation as the maximum possible via a contract offer sheet to a restricted free agent—is a fair baseline value for a player of Eichel's caliber, but the surrounding circumstances make it unclear whether teams will meet that asking price.

If not, the Sabres may have to grapple with the question of lowering their expectations or asking a clearly disgruntled player to return for the 2021-22 season with no guarantee the team as a whole will be prepared to take a significant step forward.

A resolution figures to come before the 2021 NHL draft on July 23, where Buffalo will make the No. 1 overall pick in a year without a consensus top prospect.

Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak announced Monday that his newborn son, Viggo, died recently.

"We have an Angel watching over us and we call him SON. You will be loved FOREVER," Pastrnak wrote on Instagram. "Please respect our privacy as we are going through these heartbreaking times." 

According to his post, Viggo Rohl Pastrnak was born June 17 and died June 23.

Pastrnak and his girlfriend, Rebecca Rohlsson, announced in January that she was pregnant with the couple's first child.

A first-round pick by the Bruins in 2014, Pastrnak made his NHL debut as an 18-year-old. The Czech Republic native has spent his entire seven-year career in Boston.

The Montreal Canadiens will get head coach Dominique Ducharme back for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. 

Ducharme told ESPN's Emily Kaplan on Saturday his mandatory 14-day isolation period after testing positive for COVID-19 will end in time for him to return to the team for the July 2 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

The NHL announced on June 18 that Ducharme, who had been partially vaccinated after receiving his second shot nine days earlier, tested positive for the virus. 

No other players or coaches for the Canadiens returned a positive test. 

Assistant Luke Richardson has been serving as head coach with Ducharme unavailable. The Canadiens clinched their first berth in the Stanley Cup Final since 1993 with a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals on June 24. 

Ducharme was named interim head coach by the Canadiens on Feb. 24 when Claude Julien was fired after a 9-5-4 start to the season. The 48-year-old went 15-16-7 during the regular season, but the team's 59 points overall were good enough to finish fourth in the North Division. 

Since falling behind 3-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, the Canadiens have won 11 of their last 13 playoff games. 

Montreal will play the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning in the Final. Ducharme will miss Games 1 (June 28) and 2 (June 30) in Tampa before returning to the bench for Game 3 at the Bell Centre on July 2. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets are not in "hot pursuit" of Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel at this moment, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic:

"There’s a lot to unpack here, but let’s get this part out of the way first: after talking with numerous sources in recent days, it doesn’t appear that the Blue Jackets—at least as of today—are in hot pursuit of Eichel, one of the premier centers in the league.

"Has Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen had conversations with his counterpart in Buffalo, Kevyn Adams? Yes. That’s what high-ranking executives call 'due diligence.' Earlier this week, Kekalainen said he spoke with 'six or seven' GMs in a single day."

Eichel, 24, has 139 goals and 216 assists in six seasons for the Sabres, who selected the forward with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft.

Eichel only played 21 games this year, posting two goals and 16 assists for a Sabres team that finished with the fewest points in the NHL. His last game was on March 7.

The Sabres announced on April 14 that he would miss the remainder of the season with a herniated disc in his neck.

Trade rumors circulated around Eichel as the Sabres floundered, and the young star expressed his frustration with the organization in May while keeping the door open for a potential fresh start elsewhere.

Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News provided the remarks:

"For sure, I would say I've been a bit upset about the way things have been handled since I've been hurt. I would be lying to say that things have moved smoothly since my injury. So yeah, I think there's been a bit of a disconnect I think from the organization and myself. It's been tough at times. But right now, for me, I think the most important thing is just trying to get healthy and figure out a way to be available to play hockey next year, wherever that might be."

Of note, Eichel wishes to have surgery to handle his ailment, while the Sabres believe that surgery should be a last resort, per Lysowski.

The Blue Jackets have a lot of questions to ponder after finishing last in the Central Division with 48 points. It was a decidedly disappointing result for a team that had made the playoffs each of the past four years, and now Columbus must regroup. Of note, defenseman Seth Jones appears on his way out after he informed the team that he won't sign a contract extension, per Portzline.

Eichel doesn't figure to be in the Blue Jackets' picture for now, but his contract (five years remaining on an eight-year, $80 million deal) would certainly play a factor for any team willing to acquire him. Still, Eichel is a fantastic point scorer when healthy, notably racking up 36 goals and 42 assists in 68 games in 2019-20.

Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Dominique Ducharme, who will miss his second game of the Stanley Cup semifinals Sunday, thinks he'll be able to return to the bench before the end of the series against the Vegas Golden Knights after testing positive for COVID-19.

Ducharme said he is "confident" he'll be back before the 14-day isolation period is over, as he said he is symptom-free and will be considered fully vaccinated (two weeks after receiving the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine) on Wednesday. 

The league announced Friday that Ducharme had tested positive for the virus, but all other players, coaches and staff tested negative on Thursday and Friday.

Ducharme said Sunday that no one he has interacted with, including his girlfriend, have tested positive and he has followed the league's COVID protocols. 

In Nevada, the Canadiens were limited to specific areas of the hotel and traveled by bus to the rink, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). 

He added that "the whole team" has received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and will be considered fully vaccinated Wednesday, according to Sean Farrell of NHL.com. 

"It's frustrating because I've been doing everything that they've asked us to do. I never exposed myself. I got that bad luck," he said. 

Montreal is the only Canadian team to cross the United States border this season, since all seven teams based in the country played in an exclusive North Division during the regular season, which only consisted of intradivision games. 

Ducharme, who took over for Claude Julien when he was fired in February, was replaced by assistant coach Luke Richardson in Game 3 of the series, when the Canadiens won 3-2 in overtime. Richardson, who shared coaching duties with former assistant Kirk Muller during the postseason last year when Julien was hospitalized, will do the same in Game 4.

"You feel helpless, just watching and hoping for the best," he said. "It's a weird situation. I've never been through that. The last time I watched the Canadiens on TV it was probably like three years, four years ago. Kind of a special situation, but it's been a special year. We've been through a lot, and we'll get through that." 

Game 4 of the series is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Sunday in Montreal, and the series returns to Vegas for Game 5 on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme must isolate for 14 days after testing positive for COVID-19, per Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.

He will not be eligible to rejoin his team, which currently leads the Vegas Golden Knights two games to one in the Stanley Cup Semifinals, until after the isolation period ends.

Ducharme was sent home after COVID-19 testing Friday returned a positive result. He had received his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine June 9.

The NHL confirmed the results via an official statement:

Ducharme is feeling well, per general manager Marc Bergevin.

Luke Richardson served as the Canadiens' interim head coach in lieu of Ducharme on Friday. The Canadiens defeated the Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Ducharme's isolation period will force him to miss the remainder of the semifinal series. Game 7 (if necessary) will take place Saturday, June 26, which is eight days after Ducharme was initially sent home.

The dates and times for the Stanley Cup Final are to be determined, but if Montreal reaches that round, Ducharme would likely be forced to miss the beginning of the series at a minimum.

Ducharme, 48, took over midseason after former head coach Claude Julien was fired. This is his first head coaching stint in the NHL, but he has seven years of experience as a head coach in junior hockey (QMJHL).

Montreal is currently in the middle of a fantastic playoff run after finishing just 24-21-11 in the regular season.

The Canadiens, who had the worst regular-season record of any playoff participant, beat the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to three before sweeping the Winnipeg Jets to advance to the Stanley Cup Semifinals.

Montreal is now two wins away from its first Stanley Cup appearance since 1993.