Opinion Links for week of August 2 to 8, 2020 | Headlinehockey.com

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OPINION

KEN CAMPBELL: Maple Leafs’ stars stepped up in a big way. Now they’ll have to do it again (The Hockey News)
RYAN KENNEDY: The Edmonton Oilers still haven’t learned how to win big games (The Hockey News)
RYAN KENNEDY: Montreal shocks Pittsburgh with structure and goaltending (The Hockey News)
KEN CAMPBELL: After another playoff disappointment, is it time for the Predators to kick David Poile upstairs? (The Hockey News)
MATT LARKIN: For the next GM, Panthers’ weaknesses are obvious. The solutions are not (The Hockey News)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Canucks’ blend of youth, veterans soars into playoffs ahead of expectations (Sportsnet)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: Maple Leafs’ Big Four rewrite ending to the season in its most dire moment (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: Oilers short on toughness in season-ending loss to Blackhawks (Sportsnet)
ERIC ENGELS: Canadiens' kids help lead team to improbable series win over Penguins (Sportsnet)
ERIC FRANCIS: Dillon Dube and Flames’ third line play heroes in series win over Jets (Sportsnet)
CATHAL KELLY: Leafs pull a rabbit out of the hat with Game 4 comeback (Globe & Mail)
MICHAEL TRAIKOS: Price propels Habs into playoffs with shutout shocker over Pens (National Post)
BRUCE ARTHUR: The Leafs were down three with four minutes to go, facing elimination. And then came the lightning bolts (Toronto Star)
HELENE ELLIOTT: NHL continues to adjust on the fly in the COVID-19 era (Los Angeles Times)
GENTRY ESTES: For Predators, an excruciating finish to a failed season (The Tennessean)
BEN KUZMA: Will to succeed has Canucks' 'emotional soldiers' on edge of winning war with Wild (Vancouver Province)
STEVE SIMMONS: Spezza fights, Matthews scores as Maple Leafs remarkably stay alive (Toronto Sun)
MATT VENSEL: Penguins' season ends as a dud after fizzling down the stretch (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
LUKE DeCOCK: Cut, dig, slide, glide: The Hurricanes MVPs might be the men who sharpen their skates (Raleigh News & Observer)
JIM MATHESON: Oilers kicked to curb by Blackhawks in Qualifying series (Edmonton Journal)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: For hardcore hockey fans, having playoffs in the summer is cool with them (Boston Globe)
PATRICK JOHNSTON: Boeser's gritty net-front presence paying off on Canucks' power play (Vancouver Province)
BRUCE ARTHUR: The Leafs have the talent, and a system that makes sense. But old habits are hard to break (Toronto Star)
NEIL BEST: Beauvillier having fun as Islanders advance (New York Newsday)
RON COOK: Penguins cap campaign without fight or accountability (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
PAT HICKEY: 'Nobody gave us a chance,' Carey Price says (Montreal Gazette)
ED WILLES: This series will be remembered for reasons other than playing in August (Vancouver Province)
TERRY JONES: Oilers out on Elimination Day with 3-2 loss to Blackhawks (Edmonton Sun)
ANDREW BERKSHIRE: A few bright spots amid gloom after Jets' quick exit (Winnipeg Free Press)
MIKE McINTYRE: No trouble in the bubble (Winnipeg Free Press)

KEN CAMPBELL: Dubois and Tortorella go from yelling to gelling for Blue Jackets (The Hockey News)
KEN CAMPBELL: What’s up, Dach? The Blackhawks are on the Oilers with Kirby and Captain Serious (The Hockey News)
ERIC FRANCIS: Milan Lucic helps Flames fight through series win against Jets (Sportsnet)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Brock Boeser pays tribute to late friend with goal in Canucks’ win (Sportsnet)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: Leafs squander golden opportunity in overtime loss to Blue Jackets (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: Oilers’ disappointing bad luck no excuse as they face elimination (Sportsnet)
MICHAEL TRAIKOS: Blue Jackets' Dubois a one-man wrecking ball versus Leafs (National Post)
ROSIE DiMANNO: Travis Dermott was no Jake Muzzin. Now the Leafs are in trouble (Toronto Star)
ED GRANEY: Bill Foley won’t judge Reaves, Knights players who kneel for anthem (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
JOE STARKEY: Here’s how the Penguins can win this series (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
JIM MATHESON: Plenty of goals in Oilers, Blackhawks series (Edmonton Journal)
LUKE DeCOCK: ‘They brought their toys with them!’ The Hurricanes have time to kill in the bubble. (Raleigh News & Observer)
STEVE SIMMONS: Now what for the Maple Leafs after blowing Game 3? (Toronto Sun)
TIM COWLISHAW: The Stars are a train wreck, and their season may be nearing its end if Dallas can’t get back on track (Dallas Morning News)
MIKE DEFABO: Why turning to Tristan Jarry is more complicated than it seems (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
GENTRY ESTES: As Preds near elimination, Duchene a lightning rod for criticism (The Tennessean)
BRUCE ARTHUR: The Maple Leafs’ fortunes turned on a dime. It’s not over, but they can see it from here (Toronto Star)
TERRY JONES: Oilers stars need help from supporting cast (Edmonton Sun)
LARRY BROOKS: Where Rangers go from here after quick playoff exit (New York Post)
MARCUS HAYES: Fear the Flyers: They can win the Stanley Cup (Philadelphia Inquirer)
BEN KUZMA: Will to succeed has Canucks' 'emotional soldiers' on edge of winning war with Wild (Vancouver Province)
MIKE McINTYRE: Short-handed Jets never got to show full potential (Winnipeg Free Press)
ROSIE DiMANNO: The Leafs would do hockey a giant favour by eliminating Tortorella’s Blue Jackets (Toronto Star)

KEN CAMPBELL: Workmanlike Canadiens have powerful Penguins on the brink (The Hockey News)
MATT LARKIN: The Canucks’ star power will decide their fate, for better or worse (The Hockey News)
ERIC ENGELS: Determined Canadiens punch back in Game 3 for series lead over Penguins (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: After Oilers tempt fate with penalties, hockey Gods reward Blackhawks late (Sportsnet)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Like his Canucks, Brock Boeser out to make a statement in post-season (Sportsnet)
FRANK SERAVALLI: Canadiens put Penguins on the brink with Game 3 win (TSN)
MARK KISZLA: How dumb do the Avs have to be to let a silly squabble stop fans from watching their Stanley Cup quest on TV? (Denver Post)
NEIL BEST: Lundqvist among New York's best (New York Newsday)
GENTRY ESTES: Good effort in Game 3 no consolation for Preds (The Tennessean)
ED WILLES: Intensity, 'battle words' cranked up in just two Canucks-Wild games (Vancouver Province)
JOE STARKEY: Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has major decisions — and problems — on his hands (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
LARRY BROOKS: Henrik Lundqvist's long Rangers goodbye is coming to an end (New York Post)
MICHAEL ARACE: Raw emotions on display in Blue Jackets’ playoff series (Columbus Dispatch)
MIKE McINTYRE: Hold up, Jets fans; it ain't over till Hellebuyck, Wheeler, Connor say it is (Winnipeg Free Press)
STEVE SIMMONS: Marincin to the rescue as Leaf Nation holds its collective breath (Toronto Sun)
JOHN ROMANO: Two games later, the Lightning are looking like the team to beat (Tampa Bay Times)
BEN KUZMA: War of attrition has Eriksson, Virtanen back in Canucks' attack (Vancouver Province)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: With action heating up, Bruins in dire need of a quick defrost (Boston Globe)
NEIL BEST: Silly penalties cost Isles in Game 3 loss (New York Newsday)
DON BRENNAN: Are the Lightning set up for another collapse? (Ottawa Sun)
DAVE HYDE: Panthers’ reward for Game 3 performance? Try to do that again (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
MATT VENSEL: Penguins' problems in Game 3 loss go much deeper than Jack Johnson (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
PAT HICKEY: Hard-working Canadiens push Penguins to the brink (Montreal Gazette)
ED WILLES: Reunion of prolific pair gives Canucks a forceful boost (Vancouver Province)
PAUL FRIESEN: Jets' big dogs need to start eating (Winnipeg Sun)
DAVE FESCHUK: Martin Marincin is no Jake Muzzin. Then again, for these Maple Leafs, nobody is (Toronto Star)

RYAN KENNEDY: The Lundqvist era effectively ends as Carolina eliminates the Rangers (The Hockey News)
KEN CAMPBELL: In light of Jake Muzzin injury, why do NHL refs refuse to call crosschecking? (The Hockey News)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Canucks find winning combination by reuniting Lotto Line (Sportsnet)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: Maple Leafs tie series, but Jake Muzzin’s health more important (Sportsnet)
ERIC FRANCIS: Flames flip switch on series, recent playoff fortunes in Game 3 vs. Jets (Sportsnet)
ERIC ENGELS: Canadiens’ Julien hints at tweaks for Game 3 vs. Penguins (Sportsnet)
EMILY KAPLAN: Why the Chicago Blackhawks are bullish on Kirby Dach: 'He has all the potential in the world' (ESPN)
FRANK SERAVALLI: Muzzin injury puts damper on Game 2 and dent in Leafs' blue line (TSN)
GREG WYSHYNSKI: Another penalty? Why NHL officials have been whistle-happy during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs (ESPN)
CATHAL KELLY: Leafs can do the league a solid by eliminating boring Blue Jackets (Globe & Mail)
MAC ENGEL: Pro sports agree: Player protests matter more than the voices offended by movement (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
GENTRY ESTES: When Preds needed it the most, 'Bones' stepped up again (The Tennessean)
MIKE SIELSKI: The Flyers look terrific. The Sixers and Phillies don’t. What did you expect? (Philadelphia Inquirer)
ED WILLES: The players are fresh. The games are fast. The battles are ferocious (Vancouver Province)
TIM BENZ: When will Penguins scoring pick up? How do they work around it until it does? (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
ROSIE DiMANNO: The Korpisalo spell is broken, and the Maple Leafs can breathe again (Toronto Star)
STEVE SIMMONS: Marner on Muzzin: 'We're all praying for him.' (Toronto Sun)
LUKE DeCOCK: Coffee is for closers: Carolina Hurricanes don’t need extra games to end Rangers’ year (Raleigh News & Observer)
MICHAEL ARACE: Bubble sports move forward while MLB stuggles (Columbus Dispatch)
JEFF GORDON: Compelling bubble hockey offers welcome pandemic diversion (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
NEIL BEST: Patience rewards Jordan Eberle and the Islanders (New York Newsday)
PAUL FRIESEN: Catching up with a Jets season on the brink (Winnipeg Sun)
LARRY BROOKS: Draft temptation could make Rangers' early exit very much worth it (New York Post)
SAM CARCHIDI: Bernie Parent says Flyers can win Stanley Cup, calls Carter Hart a better goalie than him at this stage (Philadelphia Inquirer)
MARK MADDEN: Penguins determined to travel most difficult path possible (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
BEN KUZMA: No bubble trouble shows NHL made ‘brilliant choice,’ says infectious diseases doc (Vancouver Province)
BRUCE ARTHUR: The Jake Muzzin injury casts a cloud over a Game 2 win the Maple Leafs should be proud of (Toronto Star)
TERRY JONES: Superstar and goaltending always a winning formula for Oilers (Edmonton Sun)

MATT LARKIN: With Andrei Svechniknov set to ‘God Mode,’ Hurricanes are a Stanley Cup threat (The Hockey News)
MATT LARKIN: Nikolaj Ehlers’ redemption arrives when the Jets need him most (The Hockey News)
MATT LARKIN: Reaves took a knee. Lehner, Seguin and Dickinson joined him. Here’s why (The Hockey News)
ERIC ENGELS: Canadiens leave Carey Price out to dry in Game 2 loss to Penguins (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: Oilers turn lessons from Game 1 loss into complete performance in Game 2 (Sportsnet)
ERIC FRANCIS: Undisciplined Flames follow familiar script in Game 2 loss (Sportsnet)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Canucks need to re-establish offensive identity going into Game 2 vs. Wild (Sportsnet)
FRANK SERAVALLI: Never-say-die approach fuels Jets to continue to find a way (TSN)
EMILY KAPLAN: Why New York Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev has Martin Luther King Jr. on his mask (ESPN)
CATHAL KELLY: Leafs fail to learn lessons after painful schooling from Columbus (Globe & Mail)
MICHAEL TRAIKOS: Crosby wins head-to-head battle against Price in Game 2 (National Post)
RON KANTOWSKI: Robin Lehner takes knee before standing tall for Golden Knights (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
TIM BENZ: Some Penguins answered challenges in Game 2. More must do so in Game 3. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
ED WILLES: Short series against Wild calls for some urgency from Canucks (Vancouver Province)
BARRY ROZNER: While MLB burns, NBA and NHL keeping it cool (Chicago Daily Herald)
MAC ENGEL: Stanley Cup Playoffs format is great, but no sport needs fans in stands more than NHL (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
MATT VENSEL: Mike Sullivan makes the right call by showing 'faith' in embattled Penguins (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
PAT HICKEY: 'Our best players weren't our best players tonight,' Julien says (Montreal Gazette)
BEN KUZMA: Miller all in on getting Canucks back on even series footing (Vancouver Province)
LUKE DeCOCK: Svechnikov cashes in as Aho orchestrates a dominant Hurricanes start to the playoffs (Raleigh News & Observer)
STEVE SIMMONS: Different coach, different roster, same result for playoff challenged Maple Leafs (Toronto Sun)
MICHAEL ARACE: Series opener provide welcome respite for Columbus Blue Jackets (Columbus Dispatch)
LARRY BROOKS: Rangers in terrible spot as Henrik Lundqvist era may be over (New York Post)
RON COOK: Matt Murray proved he was the man for the job in Game 2 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
BEN KUZMA: Canucks' winger Ferland fined $5,000 for spearing Hartman in Game 1 (Vancouver Province)
JOHN ROMANO: This time, the Lightning do not plan on being pushed around (Tampa Bay Times)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: Make no mistake, the Bruins need to clean up their play going forward (Boston Globe)
TERRY JONES: Hub Cities brilliant for all except local teams so far (Edmonton Sun)
MIKE McINTYRE: Classic Paul Maurice (Winnipeg Free Press)
DAVE FESCHUK: Mitch Marner and the Maple Leafs offence, silent in Game 1 against the Blue Jackets, will look to give goalie Frederik Andersen more support in Game 2 on Tuesday afternoon. (Toronto Star)

RYAN KENNEDY: Two-way force Pierre-Luc Dubois makes an early impact for Columbus (The Hockey News)
RYAN KENNEDY: The Vegas Golden Knights are ready to live that bubble life (The Hockey News)
CHRIS JOHNSTON: Maple Leafs in early hole after Blue Jackets serve up defensive gem (Sportsnet)
IAIN MacINTYRE: Veterans must step up after Canucks struggle to find offence vs. Wild (Sportsnet)
ERIC FRANCIS: Dirty or not, Flames' Matthew Tkachuk thrives when spotlight is on him (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: Oilers need to play responsible, patient game vs. Blackhawks (Sportsnet)
CATHAL KELLY: Tkachuk controversy stirs the blood in hockey’s long-awaited return (Globe & Mail)
BARRY ROZNER: Blackhawks only as good as their next period (Chicago Daily Herald)
GENTRY ESTES: Saros over Rinne has long-term implications for Preds (The Tennessean)
BRUCE ARTHUR: The Leafs returned to a different world, but playoff hockey is playoff hockey — and they still haven’t figured it out (Toronto Star)
TIM BENZ: Mike Sullivan is ignoring the obvious when it comes to net-front issues (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
BENJAMIN HOCHMAN: Binnington locked in against Colorado, unlike many of his teammates (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
LARRY BROOKS: Rangers can’t afford another David Quinn mistake like this (New York Post)
ROSIE DiMANNO: The boring Blue Jackets are a Babcock dream. In Game 1, they were also a nightmare for the Leafs (Toronto Star)
DANE MIZUTANI: The NHL needs more players like Matt Dumba (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
JOHN STEIGERWALD: Not time for Penguins fans to panic; this series could go the distance (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
GENTRY ESTES: After costly loss for Preds, we should have known better (The Tennessean)
DAMIEN COX: The NHL sells nastiness at playoff time. It’s no different during a pandemic (Toronto Star)
LUKE DeCOCK: Hurricanes still figuring out how to play without Dougie Hamilton, although maybe not for long (Raleigh News & Observer)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: Make no mistake, the Bruins need to clean up their play going forward (Boston Globe)
TIM BENZ: You know what Penguins did wrong. What did Canadiens do right? (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
ED WILLES: Rust makes for some exciting hockey inside the Edmonton bubble (Vancouver Province)

KEN CAMPBELL: Matthew Tkachuk vs. Paul Maurice: NHL will have to decide who’s telling the truth (The Hockey News)
KEN CAMPBELL: Price was right, but Canadiens were powered in Game 1 by a sleek Suzuki (The Hockey News)
KEN CAMPBELL: A surprising rookie and a not-so-surprising mistake have Hawks up, Oilers down (The Hockey News)
ERIC ENGELS: Canadiens show anything is possible in Game 1 win over Penguins (Sportsnet)
ERIC FRANCIS: Maurice misguided in suggesting Tkachuk intentionally injured Scheifele (Sportsnet)
MARK SPECTOR: Oilers 'just weren't ready' in lopsided opening loss to Blackhawks (Sportsnet)
FRANK SERAVALLI: Game On: The NHL is back (TSN)
BURT CONSTABLE: This octogenarian goalie blocked shots from 2 Blackhawk legends, then finally retired (Chicago Daily Herald)
LARRY BROOKS: How Tom Fitzgerald is handling the Devils’ endless summer (New York Post)
JIM SOUHAN: Props to the NHL and Commissioner Gary Bettman for saving its season (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
STEVE SIMMONS: It's not just time, it's overtime for the win-now playoff Maple Leafs (Toronto Sun)
STEVE GREENBERG: Blackhawks in the playoffs? Chicago’s sports fans might as well rally around it (Chicago Sun-Times)
RON COOK: Penguins dropped Game 1 earlier than you might think (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
PATRICK JOHNSTON: Toffoli hopes to give Canucks an offensive edge in showdown with Wild (Vancouver Province)
KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: As NHL season restarts, opportunity comes early for Bruins’ Jack Studnicka, Anders Bjork up front (Boston Globe)
LARRY BROOKS: This Henrik Lundqvist playoff moment was unlike any other (New York Post)
DAVE FESCHUK: Frederik Andersen is the Maple Leaf with the most to prove in the playoffs (Toronto Star)
PAT HICKEY: Youngsters make big impression in playoff debut (Montreal Gazette)
MIKE CHAMBERS: Nazem Kadri stands with Black players. Does the NHL hear them? (Denver Post)
ED WILLES: No buzz outside bubble, no crowds in it, but players embrace all the weirdness (Vancouver Province)
LUKE DeCOCK: A fluky bounce off a familiar name seals a familiar Hurricanes playoff performance (Raleigh News & Observer)
NEIL BEST: Rangers, Isles games show NHL's return is real deal (New York Newsday)
CHAD FINN: Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley need time to adjust their strategy calling Bruins games (Boston Globe)
TIM BENZ: Penguins better finish or they’ll be finished a lot quicker than we thought (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
TERRY JONES: Oilers not prepared to play in Game 1 against Blackhawks (Edmonton Sun)