The NHL has set up camp in Toronto and Edmonton for the 2020 version of the Stanley Cup playoffs. All the Canadian teams are in the mix except for the Ottawa Senators. All of those teams except for Montréal have an easy time justifying their presence.
Toronto (Columbus) are in the 8-9 bracket with the Maple Leafs having the home edge. Montréal (Pittsburgh) is the only Canadian team to be a #12 seed. Edmonton (Chicago) is a #5 seed while Vancouver (Minnesota) is a #7 seed. Calgary (#8) has the edge over Winnipeg (#9) in their matchup.
We won't know much about individual players in terms of COVID-19 as things progress. Toronto's Auston Matthews had COVID-19 and has now recovered. Montréal's Max Domi has Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease and is in the tournament.
The play-in round is a best-of-5. Go down 2-0 and visions of Alexis Lafreniere will dance in their heads.
The higher seeds will sit in the home bench and use the home locker room in Games 1-2 and 5 (if needed). Let's hope the bubble holds and cases are minimized. The Stanley Cup is important but not as important as health.
By August 10, 8 teams will be gone. Another 4-7 games after that, 8 more teams will leave the bubble.
The 2018 Winnipeg Jets was the last Canadian team to win a playoff round. Canada is guaranteed to have at least a team in the next round, the Calgary-Winnipeg winner.
Chris Cuthbert picks Stanley Cup final over TSN, jumps to Rogers Sportsnet
Chris Cuthbert jumped from TSN to Rogers Sportsnet to call a Stanley Cup final. We don't know if that will be in 2020 or a future year of a 4-year contract.
Cuthbert and Louie DeBrusk will call the play-in round in Edmonton. Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson will call the play-in round in Toronto. Rogers Sportsnet is only producing games involving Canadian teams in the play-in round, though there might be exceptions for a Game 5 of an all-American matchup.
Looks like CBC is only covering the games on Saturday nights in the play-in round. CBC will run a Saturday doubleheader with the Habs in the early slot and the Flames-Jets in the nightcap. CBC would have had the Tokyo Olympics and the Paralympics this summer.
The Calgary-Winnipeg Game 1 marks the return of Cuthbert to the CBC. Cuthbert's last CBC NHL game would have been in the spring of 2004. This time around, Cuthbert works for Rogers Sportsnet though his work will appear on CBC.
NBC will produce the games in Toronto while Rogers Sportsnet will produce the games in Edmonton. This is to provide clean video for the American and Canadian outlets. This will not affect the broadcasts in any fashion; at least, they won't be as bad as when NBC covered the Toronto-Washington playoff series with video from NBC Sports Washington.
What sports will look like on Canadian soil in 2020
Canadian sports notebook: Toronto and Edmonton still NHL hub city options
The NHL Network will have a few games of note, including Games 2 and 3 of the Calgary-Winnipeg series. NBCSN will join some NHL Network games in progress.
The NHL on NBC is treating the play-in round like the regular season. The U.S. national feeds are not exclusive, meaning the national feed will be blacked out in local markets. People in Chicago will be forced to watch the local feed instead of a national feed for the Edmonton series.
NBC is carrying the Edmonton Oilers and Montréal Canadiens on Saturday. The Habs have made a few appearances on the network. NBC viewers will get to know Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for the first time outside the All-Star Game. Eddie Olczyk, who covers the other team for his day job, will be on the telecast tomorrow afternoon.
The NBC release notes who will do games for the play-in round. Kenny Albert will call the Calgary-Winnipeg Game 1, though Gord Miller or a Rogers simulcast are better choices. We sadly know that John Forslund, Mike Milbury, and Brian Boucher will do the Montréal game on NBC tonorrow: The combination of indifference (Forslund) and incompetence (Milbury, Boucher). Milbury is above average in the studio but is bitter and petty as an analyst. His anti-Habs slip will show often. We would rather have the audio from TVA Sports.
August 1 Chicago @ Edmonton 3p NBC
August 1 Montréal @ Pittsburgh 8p NBC (CBC)
August 1 Winnipeg @ Calgary 10:30p NBCSN (CBC)
August 2 Columbus @ Toronto 8p NHL-N
August 2 Minnesota @ Vancouver 10:30p NBCSN
August 3 Winnipeg @ Calgary 2:30p NHL-N
August 3 Montréal @ Pittsburgh 8p NBCSN
August 3 Chicago @ Edmonton 10:30p NBCSN
August 4 Columbus @ Toronto 4p NBCSN
August 4 Calgary @ Winnipeg 6:45p NHL-N
August 4 Minnesota @ Vancouver 10:45p USA
August 5 Pittsburgh @ Montréal 8p NBCSN
August 5 Edmonton @ Chicago 10:30p NBCSN
All games on Sportsnet except where noted. Times are Eastern Daylight.
And for those who are wondering, I’ll be going into the “bubble” in Toronto next week, once again broadcasting post-season games for @NHLonNBCSports. https://t.co/oj5YU2OT43
— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) July 20, 2020
Unfortunately no https://t.co/DGXBcbi9OO
— Ray Ferraro (@rayferrarotsn) July 21, 2020
Gord Miller is inside the bubble in Toronto. That is a sign Miller will be used for more than a round in the playoffs. Miller will not be joined by Ray Ferraro on NBCSN. We don't know why; we aren't asking why. Their chemistry will be missed; Hard to argue that Miller-Ferraro isn't the best combo. Their travel stories will be missed since Miller will be in the bubble.
You can consult the Gord Miller Twitter feed for updates.
The real seeding for the theoretical 2020 NHL playoffs
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
The nuance of playoffs vs. not playoffs is lost on those who are excited about the return of the NHL. Our only question is how many Canadian teams reached the top 16 and beyond.
A sincere congratulations to the Seattle Kraken, the new nickname for the Seattle NHL franchise. The team is scheduled to start in the fall of 2021. Vancouver Canucks vs. Seattle Kraken will become a great rivalry, hopefully not as one-sided as the Sounders and the Whitecaps in MLS.
We are curious if Hockey Night in Canada telecasts involving the Kraken will get blacked out since CBUT/Vancouver is available on cable in Seattle. Detroit might be on HNIC but not usually on CBC. Buffalo is less likely to be on HNIC.
logo credit: NHL; Seattle Kraken
Twitter capture: @GMillerTSN; @rayferraroTSN
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