They will likely select QMJHL star Alexis Lafreniere to kick off the draft, tentatively scheduled to begin Oct. 9. ET, SportsnetThe playoffs begin with a spicy rematch from last season, when the underdog Blue Jackets stunningly swept the league-leading Lightning. Tampa, who plays a similar, though more effective, style went 2-1 in its seeding games but didn't escape unscathed. Its miracle playoff run last season was ended abruptly by Boston, who won four straight on an aggregate score of 17-5. For Arizona to flip the odds, it'll take another strong performance from Kuemper, plus timely scoring from Taylor Hall, playing just his second non-qualifier playoff series, as well as two-time Cup champion Phil Kessel.

Source: CBC News August 11, 2020 21:00 UTC