JAY WOODCROFT

Edmonton forward Evander Kane was cut on the left wrist by a skate blade and taken to the hospital with a frightening injury during the Oilers’ 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The NHL playoffs are missing the close games and comebacks that seemingly comes annually with all the postseason intensity.

NHL teams are taking different approaches to crossing the U.S.-Canada border during the first round of the playoffs with the U.S. still requiring a negative COVID-19 test for all passengers arriving on international flights. The Edmonton Oilers flew to Vancouver and took buses into Washington state before flying to Los Angeles to avoid U.S. virus testing requirements, and the Toronto Maple Leafs took buses to Buffalo, New York, before flying to Florida for the same reason. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames all opted to test and fly direct when their respective series shifted from Canada to the U.S. late this week.

So much for the notion that goals are hard to come by in the playoffs.